Painful Treasures
by ashleezak
Summary: Jeanne Benoit crashes back into Tony's life, bringing pleas for help, feelings better left buried, and intrigue. The team steps up to help Tony – and just maybe keep him alive. How many times can he lose Jeanne before Tony DiNozzo is lost for good?
1. Chapter 1

_AN: I'm back! Yay! This is my first published story in a few years. Life has been, well, life, so it took me a very long time to get this story down. This is a finished work and will be updated frequently._

_Warning: I do not ship Tony and Ziva. If you don't like that, please don't complain. You've been warned. I don't Ziva bash, I just prefer them as partners and friends, not lovers._

_I do not claim any gain from writing this, as I obviously do not own any NCIS material. This goes for all chapters of this fanfic, so I don't have to keep posting this over and over._

_I know that that this doesn't quite fit in with the canon timeline, since Internal Affairs aired seven months after Bury Your Dead. However, since this story changes canon anyway, I hope you'll forgive the artistic license. For the sake of this fanfic's continuity, the events in Internal Affairs (S5E14) occur in January rather than April and Judgment Day never happened._

Life in the past year had not been kind to Tony DiNozzo. He'd lost his boss, who came back without a word of appreciation to an intact and cohesive team, he'd suffered through the stress of living a double life and nearly losing both of them. He'd even given up a woman that he knew he could marry. Then there were the work stresses, the case load, having to deal with lying to Jeanne at least one more time, even though she'd been trying to pin her father's murder on him.

So it wasn't a surprise that he'd actually put in to use two weeks of his accrued vacation. Gibbs had barely raised an eyebrow when Tony laid the request forms on his desk; he'd signed them without a word. Ziva and McGee hadn't heard yet, but he was sure that they would rejoice to have two weeks completely Tony-free.

DiNozzo hid a grin. He knew that Abby thought she'd pulled one over on him by taking a week of vacation to coincide with his, but he had friends in HR who kept him apprised of little things like that. Having a week to lose himself to the carefree companionship of Miss Abby Sciuto was a pleasure he was definitely looking forward to.

The movies were already stacked on his coffee table, waiting for them. The fridge was stocked with beer and Abby's favorite drinks – Caf-Pow spiked with Jack Daniels (Tony shuddered at that combination, but it was so much fun to watch her get buzzed on those), and he had the pizza and the Chinese place both on speed dial. Tonight was set.

He sat at his desk, feet kicked up on the corner as he contemplated shooting rubber bands across the aisle at Ziva. Gibbs rolled his eyes as he surreptitiously watched the byplay, but he did nothing to stop it. Tony let one rip, snorting as it not only hit the top of Ziva's bent over head, but stuck in her hair. She looked up at Tony with a glare that had withered hardened criminals, but her partner just smiled broadly and waved.

"Not now, Tony," she said, a definite growl in her voice.

"I have twenty minutes to kill until time to go home, and unlike _some _people, I have my work done."

"It doesn't help that you didn't fire rounds this last case, Tony. Then you'd be stuck with just as much paperwork as we are," McGee groused.

"Ah, but that's where you're wrong, McProbie. Who do you think files the supervisor's reports whenever rounds are expended?" There was a definite gloat to the senior field agent's voice as they both looked at Gibbs, who frowned and glared at Tony.

"Maybe I need to delegate more of my work your way, DiNozzo," Gibbs said, trying to hold the grin at bay as he indulged in some rare and subtle teasing of his junior agents. "That'll give you enough to keep you busy and keep the rubber bands out of David's hair."

She gasped and put her hand to her head, feeling for the offending object. Slamming it down on her desk, she rose to her feet. "Knock it up, Tony!"

All three men snorted and tried to contain their laughter at her slip of the tongue. "That's off, not up," McGee corrected, trying to dodge her fierce look.

"Whatever!"

"DiNozzo, go check with Abby before you leave. That should get you out of harm's way, and allow these guys to concentrate on their work." Gibbs waited until McGee and Ziva had turned their attention back to their computers before allowing a half-smile to ease onto his face. "Have a good time."

"See you in two weeks," Tony said, ignoring the startled stares as he skipped back to the elevator. He really needed to take vacation more often; the release he felt right then was intoxicating. No more blood and guts for two whole weeks, well, at least none that wasn't Hollywood faked. Or Bollywood, he amended silently as he got in the elevator. Abby had developed some strange craving for foreign films lately.

Since she had her music at her normal volume level, deafening, he was able to slip up behind her and put his hands over her eyes. "Guess who– " he huffed out, winded by the elbow to the stomach.

"I've told you not to do that!" she said, whirling around and stamping her foot. "You always get hurt, but you just keep doing it."

Tony smiled. "But I just can't help it."

She relented with a grin of her own. "Reynolds's team just dumped a DNA test on me, so I've got to get that started before the night shift comes in. So I'll be there in about an hour or so."

"That's okay. We have all week." He mentally counted to one before Abby whirled around.

"How did you know? Gibbs told you, didn't he?" she demanded, hands firmly on her hips and the toe of her black combat boot tapping irritably.

"Wouldn't you like to know?" He blew her a kiss as he headed out of the lab. "Pizza or Chinese?"

"Wish someone would make a Chinese pizza," she said. "Surprise me."

Executing a low bow, Tony backed out of the lab, laughing when a probe bounced off the door as it shut. He wasn't really in a hurry home, so he sat in his car for a bit, searching the DC area for Abby's wish. Forty-five minutes later, he pulled into his parking space, a beef and broccoli pizza sitting on top of his triple meat one. Balancing the boxes, he dug his keys out and fumbled at the door. As he pushed the key in, Tony's gut went into overdrive. He unlocked the door, put his keys away, and pulled out his weapon and hid it from sight under the pizza.

His apartment was exactly the way he'd left it that morning. Quietly he put the food down and cleared the rest of the rooms. He still tingled, but there was no one there. Confused and wary, Tony holstered his gun and stepped out to run back down and check the mail.

One of his neighbors was there checking hers, too, and greeted him. "You're home awfully early, Tony," she said cheerfully.

"I'm starting my vacation, Mrs. Cantrelli," he said. "And how is Mr. Cantrelli doing tonight?"

"Not so good. He had a setback. That nurse will be in tomorrow to check up on him." She stepped up and patted his cheek. "Thank you for arranging for her to help."

Tony blinked in surprise. "And why do you say that?" he asked.

Mrs. Cantrelli grinned. "Gotcha. I only suspected you did it, but you just answered my question."

He shook his head. "And just how many cases did you help your husband solve before he retired?" he asked, grinning ruefully.

"More than he'll admit to." She walked with him back to the elevator. "Oh, by the way, that young lady was back again today."

"Abby's already been here?" That would explain the feeling that someone had been in his apartment. She had her own keys. He wasn't sure _how _she'd gotten them, but she had them, nonetheless.

"No, not Abby. The other one. Dark hair, very quiet. She just knocked and when you weren't home, she left."

Tony frowned. "When was she here?"

"Oh, about an hour or two ago." The old woman stopped to think. "That's the third time I've seen her this week. I usually check the peephole when I hear knocking."

"What have I told you about that?" he scolded. "You know what kind of people I put away. I don't want you caught in anything."

"I know, Tony, but I worry." She patted his hand as the doors opened on their floor. "When are you going to settle down?"

An image of a beloved face flashed in front of his eyes, and he missed part of what his neighbor was saying.

"… and I think that she'd make a nice wife for you. Tone her down a bit."

"Who'd make a nice wife?" he asked, not quite sure he wanted the answer.

"That Abby girl. She's so sweet, but she's just too wild. You'd be a good husband and calm her down."

Tony choked. "That's all part of Abby's charm, Mrs. Cantrelli. Good night." He smiled and unlocked his door, hoping she'd put that particular idea behind her. All he needed was for her to cheerfully suggest that to Abby one time.

It was such a relief for him to have one truly uncomplicated relationship. Abby was like a friend with benefits, but her benefits weren't sexual. She accepted him for what he was, no more, no less. She knew when he needed pulled out of his depressions, which he was sure that he could keep hidden from everyone but Gibbs, although Ducky and Jimmy could sniff him out more often than not. She gave out hugs whether he needed them or not, and mostly, he did need them. She was the only one that he trusted with his secrets. He trusted his teammates with his life, and he trusted Gibbs to have his six in any situation, but his secrets were for Abby only.

He sat down on the sofa, having more memories stirred up than he was comfortable with. Jeanne Benoit stole a piece of his heart and soul, and when he lied to her that night, he'd given her the rest. It was frustrating, because he knew that she was gone from his life for good, but there was still a piece of him that looked for her in a crowd, that hoped he'd see her on one of his many trips to the hospital. He knew from a couple too-casual statements from Gibbs that she'd always be like that to him, a ghost he searched for. The older man had been well into a bottle of bourbon when he'd let that one slip out – that he still looked for Shannon and Kelly in a crowd. The open look was more than he usually got from his boss, and he knew that someone else shared his pain and loss.

It was worse, well maybe not worse, but different for Tony, since Jeanne wasn't dead. It was possible, however unlikely, that he could run into her again, since her mother still lived in DC. He knew she'd left the country, gone back to France to live in the chateau her father had left to her.

Tony groaned and rubbed a hand over his face. Thinking wasn't getting him anywhere, and he was still dressed from work. He walked back to his bedroom to change into his Ohio State sweat pants and tee shirt, since he knew that Abby would be expecting their little tradition to remain the same.

The knock on the door was muted as he pulled the shirt on, so he yelled through, "Come on in, it's open." As he traded his dress socks for the fuzzy LSU slippers Abby had gotten him for his birthday a few years ago, he frowned and realized that she would've run right back to him. His gut churned again, and he pulled his gun. Carefully he peered around the corner, weapon raised, and stepped around to face her.

The gun fell to his side as he lost all strength in his arm, and Jeanne looked as if she could faint. With no color in her face, she blinked several times before clearing her throat, eyes carefully focused away from the pistol. "Hello, Tony."

"Jeanne."

They stood frozen, staring at each other. Tony took in her changed appearance – her pallor, the obvious weight loss, the odd way she held herself. She looked … terrified.

"I'm sorry. Please, have a seat," he said, hastily concealing the weapon behind his back until he could place it out of sight, but still within easy reach, in a side table drawer. "What, um…" He exhaled and tried again. "What are you doing here?"

She was still staring at the closed drawer. "Even after I found out what you really were, I just… it was so hard to imagine you shooting at people. Killing people."

"You thought I could kill your father."

The words were out before he could stop them, and they sat in the air, slicing into both people. Tony relented first. "I'm sorry, Jeanne, that was uncalled for."

"No it wasn't." She met his gaze squarely for the first time. "That … fiasco was all I could think about for months afterward. I handled everything so badly." He saw the tears glass her eyes over, but the way she held herself, he didn't move toward her. "I was too emotionally involved, and there was no way that you should have had to go through that." She sighed. "That I should have put you through that. I tried to call you so many times to apologize, but I was scared. Scared that you'd just hang up or yell at me or tell me to go to hell. I don't know."

"Jeanne, I know why you did it. Yes, it hurt, but I'd spent months trying to get close to your father, and then he turns up dead. You weren't irrational to make those assumptions."

"But I knew you hadn't done it. That's what I'm apologizing for. I was willing to send you to prison because I was angry at you." She twisted her fingers together nervously. "No, angry is too soft a word. I was hurt and furious and, well, you know what they say about a woman scorned." Jeanne's attempt at a smile failed. "The way you tried to protect me in the hospital, right before everything went down, that was a man who could not murder in cold blood. And I knew it."

Tony wasn't sure what to make of this confession. He opened his mouth twice to speak, but words wouldn't form.

"I'm sure you're wondering why I'm here now." She sat up straight. "I don't know how to ask you this, but I need your help."

"With what?" he asked.

Jeanne stood up and began pacing. "Can I ask you just one question before we do this? And you be completely honest with me, no matter what?"

He was silent for a long time before whispering a single affirmative.

She inhaled, and he could see her hands shaking. "Was the last thing you said to me true? Was it all just the mission?"

Tony couldn't summon the desire to make her suffer. He stood and walked to her, putting his hands on her shoulders and bringing her into his arms. "It was the biggest lie I've ever told in my life," he said, ignoring the tears burning in his eyes. When she clutched him in desperation, he captured her face and kissed her.

"When I said I loved you, I meant it. I still mean it."

She collapsed, sobbing, and he had to grab her to keep her from falling to the floor. He could only discern a few words here and there, and she didn't seem to be letting up any time soon, so he pulled her over to the sofa and sat, cradling her against him. He held her and let her cry it out.

"I don't deserve you."

Tony frowned. "I'm the one who doesn't deserve you. I've lied to you…"

"No more than I have."

That stopped him cold. "Lied… about what?"

Jeanne looked up at him, almost cringing away from him. "Tony, the week after I found out about you, I found out that I was pregnant."

He blinked. "Pregnant?" Looking down at her gaunt figure and trying to do some rough calculations, he shook his head. "Did something go wrong?"

"Tony, four months ago, you became the father of a healthy baby girl." Jeanne dropped her eyes when a look of ecstasy filled his face.

"I'm a father?" He took in her hesitant nod with growing dread. "When do I get to see her?"

"That's what I need help with. Someone took her."

Tony's gasp was echoed from the doorway, and he and Jeanne both looked up to see Abby standing there with the door open, one hand clasped over her mouth. "I'm so sorry, Tony. I just came on in, 'cause you know, we're doing the movie thing tonight, and it was quiet, so I thought that maybe you'd dozed off on the couch or something, but instead you were talking, and I didn't want to interrupt or seem like I was eavesdropping, which technically I was anyway, but I know your door squeaks when you close it and I didn't want to disturb you two but I also didn't want to leave the door wide open 'cause of privacy and the fact that there are bad guys out there …"

"Abby, breathe!"

She gasped and then looked at them both again, regret written plainly across her face. "I'm sorry. So, so, so sorry. Really I am."

Tony stood and led her in, shutting and locking the door behind them. "It's okay. You two haven't met, officially. Jeanne Benoit, this is Abby Sciuto. Abby, Jeanne."

"I'm really glad to meet you," Abby said. "I know that before everything went to hell in a hand basket with big bushels of flowers, you made Tony really, really happy."

"Abs, standing right here," he said, not sure whether the Goth was going to help or hinder this situation. "Jeanne, Abby has been my best friend ever since I started at NCIS."

"It's nice to meet you." Jeanne looked Abby over. "Are you an agent, too?"

"No, no, no, no, no! I'm a forensic scientist. Which means I know how to kill people and make it completely untraceable." She leveled a glare at Jeanne briefly before looking back at Tony. "Let's just say I'm very protective of my friends."

She plopped down in Tony's chair, kicking her legs up over the arm and settling another long stare at Jeanne. "Now what do you mean someone took her?"

When Jeanne hesitated, Tony caught her eyes and nodded as he took a seat on the sofa beside her. "It's okay. I'll have to tell her everything later anyway, and we might need her help."

"Being nearly four months pregnant and all the hormonal imbalances didn't help me make a rational decision the last time we met, Tony. I was so crushed when you said what you did…" She smiled faintly as he winced at that memory. "I understand now why you said it. But then, I was just hurt, so I returned to France. I worked for a few months at a small clinic outside of Lyon, just to have something to do. That's where I had Renee."

"Her name's Renee?"

Jeanne nodded. "I named her after my father, and hers. Renee Antoinette Benoit-DiNozzo."

Tony inhaled. "Even after all that I put you through, you still put me on the birth certificate?"

"I did, but I had reasons." She stood and began pacing again, trying to ignore Abby's piercing gaze following her. "With my father dead, there are certain of his … associates … that decided to take over aspects of his business. I had already had a couple run-ins with some of them, and after a veiled, or honestly not so veiled, threat against me and my baby if I didn't help him access some of my father's assets, I thought that it might be safer for her to list an American government agent as her father. Since your name is very Italian, it was a wise move, even with the American-hating portion of Frenchmen."

"But it was still safe for you, because you had no plans to ever tell Tony about her," Abby said, her voice neutral, even though her words were not.

Jeanne sighed. "Truthfully, I hadn't decided yet whether to tell Tony or not. Then on our six-week checkup, Renee disappeared out of the clinic."

"How? Weren't you with her?" Tony asked.

"Normally, I would've been, but the doctor wished to speak to me about a test and while the nurse was out weighing her, someone just… took her." Jeanne sank back down on the sofa, and it was plain that her legs simply wouldn't hold her any more. "I panicked. The Lyon police got involved, but I know that their influence is limited, due to government corruption. So, using some of my family influence, I got Interpol involved."

Abby sat up and leaned forward. "I'm guessing Interpol didn't get much accomplished, either."

"No. I haven't even received a ransom note or anything. It's just like someone didn't want her existing." The tears were audible as she spoke.

"Is it possible, then, that maybe it was a random kidnapping rather than a retaliation against you?" Tony asked.

Jeanne drew a shaky breath. "I suppose it's possible. After the threats, I never really considered anything else."

"Which might explain why the locals never got anywhere on it – they were looking in the wrong place." Abby leaped up. "Come on, Tony. Let's get back to the lab. We've got some leads to chase down."

"Hold on, Abs." Tony grabbed her hand. "We're going to find her, but I'm not Gibbs. I can't just go commandeer NCIS resources for a personal vendetta."

"Then let's get Gibbs involved. We can spin it for the Director. NCIS family member targeted after blown undercover assignment." Abby pulled him to his feet. "Besides, I've got the night crew trained. They know better than to ask questions if I go back in after hours." She grinned gleefully. "After the first two times Gibbs came down yelling for answers, I threatened to turn them over to him if they ever got in my way again."

Tony sighed, considering his options. He knew that without Abby and his NCIS connections, it was a long shot to find Renee. "Fine. Abby, you take Jeanne back to the lab. Jeanne, tell Abs anything you can remember. Details, people, if it sticks out, tell her. She'll get started running stuff." He sighed again. "I'll go talk to Gibbs. Meet you there, okay?"

Abby saluted, her jaunty gesture that she usually reserved for Major Mass Spec. "Yes, sir."

He pulled her aside. "Be nice." She opened her mouth to protest, but he stared her down. "Until I'm sure of exactly what's going on here, I want to keep things as neutral as possible."

"So kissing is neutral?" she asked.

"Abs," he warned.

"Fine." Catching Tony's glance toward the other woman, she sighed and pouted. "I'll be waiting downstairs."

As she flounced out, he pulled Jeanne into a quick embrace. "Abby is…"

She surprised his with a smile. "She is protective of her friend. I understand."

"She really is the best. We can't lose with Abby helping." He hugged her tightly, releasing her when he felt how fragile she felt. "We _will_ find Renee."

Jeanne nodded. "Hurry. I've been away from her for too long now."

"I will." He grinned as he realized something. "Oh, about Abby's car…"

"Yes?"

"She drives a hearse."

Tony could swear that she groaned. "Of course she does."

He smiled slightly as he went in to change out of his slippers and pull on socks and running shoes. He tried rehearsing ways of telling Gibbs what was going on, but nothing sounded right. As he drove to Gibbs's house, Tony gave up finding words and tried to focus on sorting out his feelings.

Fatherhood was something that he'd only dreamed of after meeting Jeanne. She'd let him move past his psychoses about his own father, which had pretty well run his life to that point. In spite of the fact that he hadn't held a baby since he was a teenager, he felt himself wondering about what his daughter looked like and how heavy she was and what color eyes she had. He needed to remember to ask Jeanne to see a picture of her when he got to the lab.

Walking in the unlocked front door, Tony walked straight to the basement door, knowing that his boss was down there. He stood at the doorway and took several deep breaths, trying to calm himself down. Finally he just walked down the stairs.

"Movie night over already?" Gibbs asked without looking up from the board he was staining.

"Never got started." Tony sank down on the steps and stared at Gibbs. "I need help."

Jethro Gibbs was rarely startled, but he felt a jolt when he heard that. Tony never asked for help. He looked at his senior agent and saw the turmoil in his face and had to put the can of stain down before he spilled it. "What's wrong?"

"Jeanne's back."

Gibbs stared at him, reading something more than just a casual encounter. "Did you run into her or something?"

"She came to my apartment, Gibbs." Tony rubbed his suddenly sweaty hands on his pants. "We talked about, well, everything. Her accusing me of murder, me lying to her, the whole _disaster_ we built for a year." He shook his head, staring intently at the scraps of wood littering the basement floor. "She loved me. She loved me and I took it and trashed it."

Sinking down on the stair below Tony, Gibbs looked up at his agent. "Did you?"

Those quiet words stung. "Tony DiNardo didn't." His glance strayed toward the blue eyes and got snagged. "But Tony DiNozzo sure as hell did."

"But did Tony DiNozzo want to?" Waiting to make sure that his words would sink in where Tony could think about them later, Gibbs pushed on. "You don't need help dealing with some old feelings. What else?"

"Renee Benoit."

Frowning, Jethro shook his head. "What about him?"

"Not him, her."

"Explain."

The reflexive grin that flickered across Tony's face was less than his normal reaction to his boss's drill-sergeant-like order, but it was enough to show him that his agent was still there. "Renee Antoinette Benoit..." He stared at Gibbs, finally allowing his emotion to show, if only in his eyes. "…DiNozzo. My daughter."

Gibbs slumped back against the wall, stunned by all the pieces falling into place. No wonder Tony was in his basement, looking like death warmed over. "So where is she? Is Jeanne not gonna let you see her?"

"She's missing." DiNozzo's head dropped onto his knees, and his shoulders shook slightly as he tried to maintain his control. "Someone took her. Jeanne came to me to help find her."

Never had he seen more of himself in Tony than at that moment, and the younger man had a chance that Gibbs never did. In that moment, Jethro knew that come hell or high water, they would get that baby back. "Get back to the lab. Run anything you need. I'll take care of Jenny." He stood up and put an understanding hand on his shoulder. "We'll find her, Tony."

Somewhat drained by the outburst, he nodded jerkily, rose, and took off up the stairs. Gibbs sighed and put the lid on his stain. He eyed the bottle of bourbon but shook his head. He didn't need to go in to Jenny like that.

Given his driving habits, Gibbs wasn't surprised that he beat Tony back to the Navy Yard. Marching up to Jen's office, he wondered if her reason for staying late on Friday nights had left yet. Jethro smiled grimly. She thought she was being so secretive, but carrying on an affair with a married agent, her subordinate in the light of day, was the least of the indiscretions that he could pull out if this meeting went against him and Tony.

Since her door wasn't locked, he didn't meet anyone as he stormed in. She'd had enough time to be as impeccably dressed as she had been earlier, leaving only a slight flush below the chunky gold necklace at her throat to be her only tell.

"I need my team to be taken off rotation for a while," he said flatly.

"On what grounds?" she asked, her eyebrows elevated in surprise.

"The Frog cold case just got hot again."

Jenny Shepherd shook her head. "No, it didn't, because it's closed. Besides, even if it did, I'd know about it."

"Did you know that Jeanne Benoit's back?"

Jenny straightened in her seat but kept her expression and tone of voice neutral. "Really?"

Gibbs paced around the office but kept an eye on her as he played out his scene. "Apparently, she paid Tony a visit tonight." She didn't answer this time, but he knew he had her full attention. "She had some things to say about her father."

"And I suppose DiNozzo just rushed over to your house to spill his guts?" she asked.

He let the sarcasm in her voice push him over the edge to where he wanted to go. "He was in love with her – real thing, Jen, and you kept him undercover long after he should've been pulled."

"Tony is a fine actor. He came to me to discuss how far he should take things in his cover. We _both _agreed that beginning sexual relations with her would keep the cover going."

"Did you agree to getting her pregnant?" Gibbs laughed bitterly when she gasped. "That's right, Tony's a father. He fell in love with his mark and created a child. A little girl. Who's been kidnapped." He leaned across the desk and got right into Jenny's face. "Now, we are going off rotation until we find little Renee DiNozzo, or I am going to Ms. Benoit and SecNav and even the damn press if I have to and telling exactly what did happen to her father."

"You can't threaten me, Jethro," Jenny said, but her voice had little strength behind it.

"Oh, yes I can." He slammed his palm on her desk, jarring a start from her. "Damn it to hell, Jen! Tony was in love, and everyone knew it. Everybody could see it. Everyone except you. The one person who was supposed to have his six." Pausing to see if his words were sinking in, he allowed his voice to drop back to a deadly calm. "You let him go too deep, Jen. Pushed him to go too deep. Rule one of undercover work and you failed. You used him. All because of your obsession with your father and your willingness to use a damn fine agent as your own little police squad. I taught you so much better than that." Jethro pulled back and glared at her. "Now, you take my team off rotation, and you authorize any means necessary to work with Interpol on this case."

"Or what?" she asked, trying to recover some of the ground she'd lost.

Gibbs smiled. "Or you'll find out what all I really have on you, Director."

"You bastard! You can't blackmail me!"

"You knew about that second B, Jen, long before tonight." He smiled again as he opened the door to leave. "I'll expect to see the orders within the hour. And it's not blackmail." He stared her down to let her know how serious he was. "It's a damn promise."


	2. Chapter 2

Jeanne somehow made the trip with Abby without being too creeped out by her car. Or her tattoos. Or her music. Which, she had to admit, Abby turned down when she saw Jeanne cringing at the volume.

"Sorry, don't normally carry passengers. Or, well, ones in any shape to complain. Although, being a doctor, I guess you're used to being around dead people."

"Actually, Abby, I don't like it. It makes me feel like I've failed."

They fell silent and contemplated each other. "So," Abby said, breaking the ice first. "Do you really love Tony?"

The question sat for a long while before she got an answer. "I know that I loved him, I mean Tony DiNardo, then. But now? I don't really know Tony DiNozzo."

"They're the same person, you know." Abby stared out at the dark road. "When Tony fell in love, it didn't matter which last name he was using. He just loved."

"But there's a big difference between a college professor and a government agent," Jeanne said. "While Tony may be the same, his work plays a huge role in who he is, and that ultimately does change him."

Abby contemplated that. "Wow. He let you see a lot more than I thought. You saw more of him than most people do." She shook her head. "Even Ziva, his partner. She thinks she knows him so well, but she can't see that." Trying to figure out how to say what she wanted to say without spilling too many secrets, she sighed. "He's very complicated."

"I think I understand. I often wondered what Tony's home life was like, because there were times…" Jeanne considered her words. "There were times when Tony looked like he was experiencing happiness for the first time." She laughed at herself. "That sounds silly, but…"

"No, it doesn't. I can't share details, but Tony has not had a happy life." Abby tapped the wheel impatiently. "I'm his secret girl. Not like we're dating and we're a secret or anything, but if Tony has a secret, he'll share it with me before he does anyone else."

Jeanne weighed those words. "That makes sense. Tony is a very private person. Getting him to share anything was difficult." She sighed and let her head fall back against the head rest. "I sometimes wondered why I never met him at his workplace and met any of his friends. We always did what I wanted, so I never looked further. It was such a nice change that I wasn't suspicious of what I should have been."

"Tony's really good at his job. He wanted you to believe that he was just a college professor, because professors don't get shot at or get the plague or get stabbed. Unless you're Indiana Jones, but even he didn't get that _every _day."

"Plague?"

"Oh, yeah, biohazard attack. He survived the pneumonic plague. Has to be really careful 'cause he gets pneumonia really easy now." Abby glanced over and saw Jeanne's wide eyes. "Oh, he's okay now. He really is."

"Has he been shot before?"

"Several times." Abby cocked her head as she considered. "We've quit counting concussions, he's had so many. He's been drugged several times. Stabbed a couple. I think his stitch count is up close two hundred now."

"I thought your agents had access to Kevlar vests," Jeanne said in shock. "How does he get hurt so much?"

"Part of the time, it's because he's protecting his teammates. Most of the time, he's protecting civilians." Abby got quiet. "He's only really reckless when he's depressed."

Hearing the disapproval lingering in Abby's tone, she asked, "So, he got hurt a lot over the last year?"

"Um, yeah."

Jeanne considered the girl closely, trying to get the focus off of her and her feelings. "How long have you been in love with Tony?"

"What?" Abby squeaked, her knuckles whitening as she gripped the steering wheel in shock. "What makes you say that?"

The silence stretched out uncomfortably while Abby pulled through the gate and drove to her normal parking spot. After turning off the car, she looked at Jeanne again. "Where did that come from?"

"Just a feeling I had. Watching you and him together."

Abby bit her lip, trying to hold back the tears. "I'm Tony's only real, really real, friend. I can't ruin it by telling him that."

"How long?"

Sniffing, Abby wiped away a tear with the back of her hand. "Since I met him." She gave Jeanne another long look. "So when are you going to tell him that something's wrong with you?" Ignoring the gasp, she pushed on. "What is it? Cancer? AIDS?"

There was another long silence. "They found the tumor not long before Renee was born. That's the real reason I listed Tony as the father. I knew that I didn't have long. That's the test that we were discussing when Renee was taken. I began therapy right after she was born, but the tumor itself is inoperable." She dropped her hand to her lap as soon as she realized she was rubbing her chest. "It's metastasized to both my heart and my lung."

"How long?" Abby asked.

"A month. Maybe longer." She shrugged. "Maybe less. How did you know?"

Abby shrugged. "Worked with Ducky and Jimmy long enough to see certain symptoms, although their patients are almost always on the other side of this." She leaned over and hugged Jeanne. "I'm sorry. It's not fair, I know."

"No, it's not."

They looked at each other, seeing in the other one the raw deal each was suffering through. Silently, they took each other's hands, a quick squeeze cementing their odd relationship. By mutual pact, they would keep the other's secrets from Tony.

Jeanne followed the Goth into the building, not even bothering to try to memorize the path down to the lab. Once there, she watched as Abby shot daggers at the middle-aged man who was working on the other side of the lab. After mumbling something about giving the test time to run and wasn't it about time for his break, he left the lab at nearly a run.

"What about his work?" Jeanne asked, staring at the evidence he left on the counter. "Isn't there something about chain of evidence and all that?"

Abby grinned. "Nah. The night crew guys are basically just lab rats. They only keep tests running that wouldn't be efficient to keep machinery tied up during the day. Or just doing double-checks on tests already run." She shrugged. "Mostly they just keep up with lab paperwork and filing and stuff and pull samples to be given to the defense and stuff like that."

Jeanne felt breathless just listening to Abby talk. "So, where do you want to start?"

"Let's start with basic stats." Abby typed the information in as fast as Jeanne could give it. After going over the date, the address of the clinic, the names of all the clinic staff that was present that day, the names of the responding police officers, the Interpol agent she'd worked with, the Goth fell silent as she worked her computer magic. She wished that McGee was there to help her, but knew that she couldn't involve him or Ziva until Gibbs gave the okay.

This time she heard the door open and knew by the steps that it was Tony. Abby kept her gaze focused on her computer screen, trying to give him and Jeanne a moment of privacy. She found herself distracted by gaining access to the Interpol file. Her eyes focused on the picture of the baby girl, beautiful with her dark hair curling gently around her round face. Even though Renee's eyes looked dark, the shape was exactly like her father's. Abby wondered if they would lighten up like Tony's. Her face had something of Jeanne there, too.

"She's beautiful."

Abby jumped, startled by his voice so close to her ear. Glancing at him, she saw that he was as entranced by the infant as she'd been.

"Yeah." She cleared her throat. "I'll have to do some finagling to see how far I can get into Interpol's system…"

"Don't bother, Abs. Get out of there and send an official request." Gibbs walked across the room and deposited a Caf-Pow on the desk and a kiss on her cheek. "Orders came through that we're off rotation until further notice."

"Does that mean I can call in McGee?" she asked.

"Not yet. We'll get them involved in the morning." He signed to her. _Let someone get some sleep, okay?_

_Okay. _Abby glanced over at Tony and Jeanne, standing together without touching as they both looked at their daughter. _What about him? He'll go until he drops._

He mirrored her action, taking in information in the quick look. _We need him to take care of her. What's her problem?_

_She's dying._

Jethro controlled his reaction, but only just. Fate had played Tony a hell of a hand. "What time is it in France?" he asked Abby, turning attention to their search.

Those two ignored Tony and Jeanne, who talked quietly as Tony used another station to work. Abby was surprised as her Interpol request went through with unexpected ease. Gibbs grinned wryly. "It's amazing what the right promise will provide," he said under his breath.

"Pulling out the second B?"

"When I have to."

The four of them sorted through information, comparing notes, adding witness statements from Jeanne as she remembered them, and conferencing with the Interpol team once their day started. It was nearly dawn when Gibbs called a break.

"I'll get McGee and Ziva in to take over." He pinned Tony with a stare. "You and Abby make a breakfast run. I need coffee, DiNozzo."

Tony hesitated when he realized that Jeanne would be left alone with Gibbs, but left without a word when he caught the look his boss leveled on him. Once they were gone, Gibbs pulled out his cell and called both his other agents in.

The silence drew out as Jeanne sat, unable to focus on the case file that had grown exponentially overnight. The weight of Gibbs's disapproval and her own guilt ate at her until she spoke. "I really am sorry."

"If you say so." When she stayed silent, he levied a glare at her. "It's not me you need to apologize to."

"I know. I've told Tony. I'll apologize to him for as long as I live. And I know it'll never be enough."

Gibbs sighed, reminded that her life wasn't going to be much longer. "I think you'll find that Tony has an immense capability to forgive." He cleared his throat, turning his eyes back on his own screen. "And to love."

The quiet sound might have been a sob, but he wouldn't allow himself a chance to be swayed by it. "I should hate you for what you put him through, but I know that what he put you through was just as bad. The difference is, though, he didn't want to put you through it." He sighed. "He shouldn't have had to."

"What do you mean by that?" Jeanne asked.

He took his time answering. "Tony is an excellent agent. He is even better undercover, which was part of the reason he was chosen for the mission." Gibbs tried to ignore her shudder when she heard her father being referred to as a mission. "If his handler hadn't been so blinded by ambition, Tony wouldn't have had a chance to truly fall in love with you, nor you him."

"I don't understand."

Jethro walked over to her and sat on the stool next to hers. "When agents go undercover, they have someone who watches their six – their back. If their cover is about to be blown, or they get drawn in too deep, that handler is supposed to pull them back out. To keep them safe. Tony's handler didn't. Instead, he was encouraged to go deeper."

"But how would he have known Tony was too deep?" she asked, confusion showing on her pale face.

"Jeanne, everyone in the office knew that he was in love. Everyone _except_ his handler." Gibbs sighed again. "Tony was happy. Happy in a way that he had never been before. And he started behaving differently. These were clues that we, his team, saw and wondered about."

He could tell she was trying to say something, but it took a long moment for the words to form. "So, when he told me that the last time we spoke, he lied about it just being the mission," she began slowly, "he was telling me the absolute truth. He really didn't want to do any of it."

Gibbs nodded, answering the unspoken question in her words. "Tony DiNozzo is the finest young man I know," he said quietly. "And I know, _I know_, that he will be an even better father."

Jeanne broke down. She crumpled forward as the sobs leeched her of the strength to stay upright, and Gibbs pulled her onto his shoulder and let her purge. He could feel that she'd tried to be so strong for so long, but with her illness, it was hastening the end. Her frailty was tangible in his arms.

The door opened, and he looked up into the startled faces of McGee and Ziva.

/\/\/\/\

Ziva David tried to shake the feeling that something was wrong. While she trusted her instincts, she didn't rely on them as heavily as Gibbs relied on his gut, but the early morning call informing her to get back to the office, that a cold case had gone hot again, stirred her up.

Meeting McGee in the parking garage on the way in, she saw her own uneasiness echoed in the young agent's face.

"Gibbs call you too?" he asked, not waiting for an answer. "I can't figure out which cold case. We haven't left that many cases open over the last several years."

"I know." The two rode the elevator to the bullpen, only to find the regular weekend team covering the rotation. They nodded toward Reynolds, trying not to wonder why if there was such a hot case, that no one was at their desks.

"Well, Tony and Abby are both on vacation, so where would Gibbs have gone?" McGee asked as he stared at the empty chair.

"How do you know Abby's gone?" Ziva asked.

"She let it slip that she was planning to surprise Tony with a super movie marathon." McGee shook his head and sat down at his desk. "I didn't see anything on my email when I checked it this morning."

"Neither did I." Ziva had just taken a seat when a voice sounded overhead.

"I believe the rest of your team is in the lab."

Both agents looked up at the railing to see a very pale and obviously furious Director Shepherd deliver her message and stomp back to her office.

"What's she so pissed about?" McGee whispered.

"Well, whatever it is, it kept her here all night. Those are the same clothes she was wearing yesterday."

He shuddered as he escorted Ziva back to the elevator. "I've got a bad feeling about this."

They stepped out of the elevator to a silent corridor leading to an equally silent lab. Too quiet, except for… They shared a confused look. Was that crying? They opened the double doors and saw Gibbs holding a crying woman.

McGee noticed that it wasn't Abby crying, which was good. He was still stuck on the fact that _Gibbs_ was comforting a woman. It was so unlike his boss that nothing else sunk in.

Ziva's eyes had focused on the woman's face immediately. Her own thoughts focused on the sinking in her stomach. The crying woman was Jeanne Benoit. If she was here, in this lab, then Tony would be somewhere close.

Disappointment clutched at her chest, restricting her breath, but the Israeli would be damned if she'd let an ounce of it show on her face. She'd lost Tony's heart to her once; she could bide her time until Benoit left to go after her partner again.

/\/\/\/\/\/\

Gibbs read his junior agents in on the situation and they all discussed the case over the bagels and breakfast burritos that Abby and Tony had scrounged up. Sipping his second coffee, Jethro watched the interaction between his team. McGee had immediately jumped into the case, although he kept glancing over at Tony as if amazed that the senior agent was indeed a father. Ziva had immediately volunteered to start calling contacts within Europe, in Interpol and otherwise, so she pulled away from the group to quietly talk on her cell.

He allowed his attention to rest on her. Gibbs knew that Ziva was perilously close to stepping over the line for Rule Twelve, but as long as she kept it professional with her partner, he wouldn't say anything to her. As he continued to watch her as she ended one call, wrote furiously to get down her notes, then begin another call, Gibbs had to admit that she was admirably taking care of her responsibilities to the team.

The quietest one of the group, oddly enough, was Abby. A frown crept onto his face as he watched her work diligently, but without any of the life that normally spilled out of the girl. After seeing too many quick glances toward Tony and Jeanne, he began to see the problem. He shook his head. Having two team members in love with Tony didn't bode well for anyone. Tony finally had his shot at happiness with Jeanne…

Thinking of her drew his eyes back to the woman leaning into Tony. He wasn't sure where Abby had gotten her diagnosis that Jeanne was dying, but even discounting the wear and tear from trying to find her missing infant, there were still too many other indications to lead the observant to the conclusion that something serious was indeed wrong.

"Hey, Boss?"

Gibbs looked at McGee, frowning at the uncertain tone of voice. "What?"

"I think I found something, but it might just be a coincidence…" He trailed off as he caught his boss's look. "Okay, no coincidence, but anyway… I found several other disappearances in the months before Renee was taken, but none of them were in France. One was in Germany, one was in Denmark, three from the UK, one from Ireland, four from Italy, and two from Spain."

"And…" Gibbs prompted.

McGee cleared his throat. "Well, I'd think that that many babies disappearing would've had some kind of task force working on it, or media coverage, or something. But only five of those twelve were ever even looked into. The rest show up as footnotes in hospital reports. And even those, well, most of them are chalked up to administrative errors."

"Babies lost or taken and that's an administrative error?" Abby asked, horrified.

"That's what most of them say."

Jeanne covered her mouth before speaking up. "I can't imagine any hospital I've worked in, and I've been in many in several different countries, that would treat a missing infant like that."

"Unless…" Tony looked up at Gibbs. "It's not the first time we've run into a human trafficking ring."

Gibb's stomach sank to think of Tony's daughter being sold into that kind of existence. "McGee, you and Abby start probing each one of those cases. See if you can find any more details about any of those cases. Tony, you and Jeanne go get some rest. We'll work this thing in shifts."

"Abby's been up all night, too," he said, returning Gibbs's cool stare with his own.

"DiNozzo, office." When Tony joined him in the elevator, Jethro gave him a compassionate look. "I know that you can keep going on this, but she can't. She'll rest better if you're with her, and it won't do you any harm to get some rest and look at this again with fresh eyes." He saw Tony open his mouth to protest, but Gibbs waved him off. "If anything comes up, yes, I will call you immediately."

Tony stood there for a long time, trying to gauge his boss's words and reactions. Finally he relented and nodded his head. He pushed the button to open the doors and went back into the lab.

Gibbs stood for a moment, hoping that his team could support them and get this solved quickly. A picture that he'd seen at his dad's of him holding Kelly when she was a baby surfaced, one that Shannon must have sent Jackson. It didn't take much to mentally superimpose Tony's face over his own, and the image twisted his gut. No matter what, they would bring little Renee home safely. Or else someone would pay.


	3. Chapter 3

_AN: Thanks so, so, so much to all who have reviewed. Due to internet difficulties, I can't acknowledge every review personally, although I'm trying, and hope to get them all answered as soon as possible. _

_On a side note, I'm thrilled to see so many other Jeanne fans out there. I thought I was the only one. Again, thanks everybody._

Tony drove, trying to absorb all that had happened in the last twenty-four hours. His thoughts went uninterrupted, since Jeanne dozed off within minutes. Gibbs was right, _again_. She looked exhausted.

For someone who'd never considered being a father, he felt a surprising pull toward his missing daughter. He wondered how often he would be able to see her, since he didn't doubt that Jeanne would keep custody. A flash of future Christmases, birthdays, and summer vacations flooded his mind. He was a father, and more importantly, Tony swore right then and there to be a _dad_. There would be no secretary-chosen presents, or pre-signed greeting cards that showed up for recognized holidays. He could afford to travel frequently, and he intended to spend every single moment he could spare with her. Renee. An inexorable grin spread across his face. Renee DiNozzo. His daughter. A glance toward the sleeping woman beside him, and he realized that Renee was _their_ daughter. The two would ever be entwined in his heart.

Jeanne didn't wake as he parked in his assigned space. He wondered how long she'd been running on nerves, and just how far she'd been pushed to resort to using him to help. At that moment, he didn't care. She was back in his life, and he'd be damned if he'd make the mistake of letting her go again.

Gently lifting her out of the seat, Tony carried her into the elevator and to his door. He fumbled with his keys a bit but got her inside and the door shut before being detained by Mrs. Cantrelli. Amazingly, Jeanne slept through the whole maneuver. He laid her on his bed and considered how much to undress her. He settled for removing her socks, shoes, and jacket, not quite comfortable with the idea of more. Shaking his head with a rueful smile, he stripped off his own shirt, shoes, and socks and traded his jeans for sweats before joining her on the bed. They'd been lovers at one point, but in this careful truce, Tony preferred to err on the side of caution.

His phone rang, and Tony grabbed it, awake in an instant from years of training. He glanced at the display and sighed, shunting the telemarketer's 800 number off to his voicemail. A quick look at the clock told him they'd been asleep for three hours.

Rolling over carefully so as not to wake Jeanne, he slipped out of bed and into the kitchen. There would be no going back to sleep now, since he'd gotten more sleep than a lot of cases. He often lived for days on one hour catnaps, so he made a pot of coffee and set up his laptop on his kitchen table.

This amused him, since he knew that McGee and Ziva would never believe that he was capable of using anything more than the basic desktop at work. Signing onto his messaging system, he quickly saw that Abby was online as well.

_Any progress yet?_

She didn't leave him waiting long. _So far, a few tenuous connections between the other disappearances and Renee's, but all circumstantial. Will call when something clicks._

_Understood._ He sighed and opened another tab, logging on remotely to his work computer. A beep notified him of a new message.

_Thought you were supposed to be sleeping._

Tony grinned. _Technically, I'm supposed to be making sure she sleeps. And she is. I got a few hours, so there's no reason I can't work now._

_TONY!_

_I appreciate your concern, Abs, but I'm fine. What angles have you guys checked and where can I look?_

After a brief pause, Abby sent a stream of information that Tony quickly sorted through and began investigating. He paused when the coffee-maker beeped at him, grabbing a cup and sipping, walking back to his bedroom and peering inside.

The afternoon sun slanted across her, highlighting the sunken cheeks and deep shadows. It wasn't just that she looked exhausted, she looked ill. Frowning, he stepped closer and looked again. He wondered just what had caused such stress. Leaning down, he brushed her hair back from her face. She sighed in her sleep, and he left the room so she could rest.

Tony worked for another few hours. There was something nagging at his gut, but nothing he worked on alleviated it. His gut wasn't as preternaturally accurate as Gibbs's, but it had gotten him out of too many scrapes to ignore. Taking the list of other disappearances, he began tweaking some of the search criteria, looking for leads.

After an hour of searching, he stared at the list, fighting against the evidence that stared back at him. The links revealed more than he was ready to see. Frustrated, he took a shower, attempting to wash clean what he'd seen. He hated being right, especially when it put his own daughter in danger. Worse even than international arms dealers holding her for ransom.

With a towel draped around his neck, he sat in front of the computer again and reran the search. When the same results came up, he dialed his phone.

Ten minutes later, he was dressed and sitting on the bed. "Jeanne?"

"Mmm?"

"Jeanne, we found a lead on Renee."

Her eyes flew open at those words. "You found her?"

He winced. "Not yet, but Gibbs wants us in so we can try to figure out the next step."

She nodded and got up, swaying when she stood. Tony held out his hand to steady her. "You okay?"

"Just stood up too fast."

He didn't respond to that other than to keep hold of her until she'd regained her balance. Pointing toward the bathroom, he gathered up her shoes and socks and left them on the bed. Tony gave her privacy to freshen up and transferred his findings onto a flash drive.

When they arrived back in Abby's lab, he got Jeanne settled and quietly slipped the Goth the drive. Looking around the surprisingly empty room, he asked, "Where is everyone?"

"Gibbs is on a coffee/Caf-Pow run, McGee just stepped out for what I believe is a long overdue potty break, and who knows where Ziva is." Abby gave him a long look before glancing toward Jeanne. "And how are you two?"

"I slept. She slept more." Tony frowned. "I can't imagine how much this has taken out of her."

Abby bit her lip. "I'll text everyone and get them back here. You wanna lead on this?"

"No. You did most of the footwork on this one. I just gave a direction."

She shrugged. "If you say so."

It only took ten minutes for the rest of the team to assemble. Abby accepted the drink without her usual enthusiasm, and her sidelong glance at Jeanne and Tony revealed more than she intended. Fortunately, only Gibbs noticed.

"All right, boys and girls. This is where we are right now," Abby began, trying to inject a little of her normal self back into the room. "We looked into all these disappearances. Ten of the twelve were in poverty stricken areas. The one in Germany and Renee seem to be the only exceptions."

McGee took over. "I found complaints in every city about inconsistencies with foreign adoptions. There were lawsuits filed about payments being taken, but no child being available once the couple showed up. There were police reports filed in London, where two of the children vanished."

"My contacts were surprisingly silent," Ziva added. "Other than a few rumors, they knew nothing of these kidnappings." She frowned. "Which I interpret to mean that either they are incredibly uninformed, or there is a reason that they won't share."

Gibbs shook his head. "Lean on them more, Ziva. They're hiding something."

"There's something else, boss."

Everyone turned to look at Tony, who'd sat silent until then. "When I looked at the parents of the missing children, I found a surprising connection. Four of the twelve were abandoned in the hospital. Four are orphans. Three are single parent households." He didn't glance toward Jeanne as he spoke. "So there was no one to stand up for the children. They chose their targets well."

"The hell they did. Abby, McGee, look deeper into that adoption agency – "

"Maybe I can add some information to this search."

Everyone turned to stare at Jenny, who was standing by the lab doors. "Since my team cannot be used for official NCIS cases, I took it upon myself to speed this along."

"Say your piece and get out," Gibbs growled.

Shepherd swaggered across the room, seemingly oblivious to the chilled looks aimed her way. She typed briefly on Abby's computer and stepped back to speak. "My counterpart in Interpol sent me this file when he realized what we were looking in to. These are six couples who have been involved in several of the adoption complaints. Until we started looking into this, no one there had seen the connection." She pointed to one set of names on the list. "Four of these couples linked to this are American, and one lives in Maryland." Shepherd looked around the room, never quite meeting anyone's gaze. "That couple, Charlie and Frank Smith-Holmes, has recently adopted a little girl."

"McGee, you and Abby tear apart that list. Ziva," Gibbs leveled a direct gaze at her. "You get up to MTAC. Run this information past your contacts in Interpol. Find out what they're not saying." He glanced at Tony before heading out the door.

"Could this be Renee?" Jeanne whispered to Tony.

He hesitated a moment. "It's possible. Let me and Gibbs check it out." A quick squeeze of her hand was all he dared. "Stay with Abby."

Tony dashed out behind Gibbs, while Ziva transferred the information before glancing at the director and leaving. Abby refused to even look at Shepherd, ignoring her to focus on her violated computer. She went so far as to pull out a disinfecting wipe and run over the keyboard.

McGee contemplated the women in the room. All of them were tense, and each one seemed to have a vested interest in DiNozzo. Oddly, the director seemed to be the uneasiest, although she did a commendable job of hiding it behind the bravado of her rank.

"You're welcome," Shepherd muttered as she stalked out of the lab.

Jeanne sat quietly, and McGee let his gaze linger there. He wasn't sure how to react to her. On the one hand, she'd torn Tony apart, given birth to his daughter, and hadn't even told him about her until she needed his help to find her. On the other, Tony had made her fall in love with him while he was undercover and was the inadvertent cause of her father's death. Neither situation was fair, and Tim struggled to imagine what she and Tony were going through. An impatient poke from Abby brought his attention back to the task at hand.

/\/\/\/\/\/\

Gibbs drove in his usual style, trying to focus on the road and not the silent man beside him. In a normal investigation, Tony was spouting trivia about whichever movie most closely paralleled whatever situation they were going into, but his stillness was unnerving.

"How are we gonna do this?" Tony asked.

"Do what?"

"If they have Renee. Can we just take her?"

Realizing that he had no idea what the legal implications were in this situation, Gibbs ground his teeth, trying to not verbalize the string of curses bubbling up from his well-rounded Marine vocabulary. "Call Legal. Get them working on it." He glanced at the clock on the dashboard. "We still have about an hour before we get there."

Listening to Tony's quick, succinct conversation put Gibbs on edge. This wasn't his senior field agent. Everything about this situation was wrong.

It was dark by the time they reached the address. The long driveway wound away from the paved road, and for once, Gibbs used some care to avoid the worst of the potholes.

There was a porch light illuminating the driveway as they pulled to a stop in front of the house. Tony sat still, hands clenched into white fists that rubbed up and down the legs of his jeans. He dropped his head and whispered something that escaped even Gibbs's hearing.

Clapping a strong hand on Tony's shoulder, Gibbs met his gaze and wouldn't let his agent look away. "You can do this. Whatever happens, I have your six."

"I know."

The two men walked to the front door, and Tony hung back slightly to let Gibbs take the lead. He knocked, promising himself that he would stay calm. The door opened and an attractive young man looked out. "Yes?"

"Special Agents Gibbs and DiNozzo, NCIS," Gibbs said, displaying his badge and seeing Tony doing the same out of the corner of his eye. "May we come in?"

"NCIS?" The man frowned. "Navy cops?"

"Yes. We're looking for Charlie or Frank Smith-Holmes, please."

The man stiffened and stared at the two of them. "Do you have a warrant?"

Tony spoke up. "Do we need one?"

Gibbs kept his face blank, although the edge in Tony's voice shook him. "We're just looking for some information, and these names came up in connection to a case we're looking into." He hesitated, unused to playing the good cop. "Are you Frank or Charlie?"

"Frank." His suspicion was plain, but he stepped back to let them in. As Gibbs led Tony inside, a baby's cry rose from further back in the house.

"Who was at the door?" another man asked from the hall.

"Federal agents."

All three stood uncomfortably while the cry was calmed and the other man joined them. "Agents? FBI?"

"NCIS," Gibbs said. "We need to speak to you." He stood with Tony, ready to grab him if he took off for the child. "Charlie?"

Charlie nodded slowly as he stood beside Frank. "What's going on? We don't know anyone in the Navy."

Knowing that he would get better information if the tension was eased, Gibbs tried to reassure them. "You're not under investigation. Your names came up in connection to another case and we're just following leads."

"What kind of investigation?"

"We understand that you recently worked with the International Children's Home adoption agency."

Charlie hesitantly nodded. "Why do you need to know?"

"ICH has been implicated in dealings that involve the dependent of Navy personnel being placed into adoption settings," Tony said. "We need to know what kind of experience you had while working with them. Did any of their dealings feel off to you?"

Gibbs nearly sighed. There was the Tony he knew and depended on. The couple took in that information and eased off of their defensive stances. "The problem with this Navy dependent is that she was kidnapped, not given up."

"You don't mean…" Charlie glanced back toward the baby's room.

"Mira is our daughter," Frank said, his chin lifting a little. "Our adoption was final."

"I'm not saying your daughter is the missing girl," Gibbs said quickly. "What we're asking is if anything about your adoption made you suspicious."

The couple shared a long look before Charlie spoke. "Come on, Frank. You know we gotta."

Frank glared at the two agents before sighing. "Fine. Adoptions in our situation can be tricky here in the States, especially since Charlie has certain health issues, so we went to Europe to adopt, because they're a lot more lenient. While we were there, we heard a few of the other couples talking. Let's just say that very little of what we heard was flattering."

"There were several couples who had gone through this process two or three times and they still hadn't gotten a baby yet," Charlie said. "It was just heartbreaking. I mean, there was another couple just like us, from somewhere out West, who'd paid for their adoption _four _times and still hadn't even gotten to see a baby. We were lucky." He reached out and grabbed Frank's hand. "Mira was only our second attempt at getting one."

"Which country is she from?" Tony asked.

"Germany. They said she was an orphan from Germany," Frank said.

Gibbs pulled out his cell phone and struggled for a moment before bringing up the picture of Renee. "Do you recognize her?"

Both men shook their heads, the relief plain on their faces. "Mira's blonde, not dark like this one." Charlie looked up. "Is this the missing baby?"

"She was stolen out of the doctor's office in France," Tony said. "Her mother sat in a room just feet away."

Frank swore under his breath as another cry echoed into the living room. "Can you…?" he asked as he glanced at his partner. Once Charlie was gone, Frank turned back to the agents. "Look, I'm sorry I've been pissy about this, but legally, I know what we did isn't exactly on the up and up. But we've been so desperate for a child, and with Charlie's diabetes and my history of cancer, adoption agencies here have just loved handing out rejections. Our orientation has been the least of our problems." He sighed. "That agency you're investigating – I can't say that I'm surprised to hear that they're taking kids. None of the families working with them are legal – they're all desperate people just trying to find a kid. And these people are just stealing from them. Making them jump through all sorts of hoops and paying outrageous sums every time, 'cause they know that these people won't prosecute them."

"How much did you pay?" Gibbs asked.

"Nearly a quarter of a million," he said, meeting Gibbs's gaze defiantly. "I'd pay it again, just to have that beautiful girl in my life."

Charlie stepped back into the room, bouncing a toddler with sleep-mussed blonde curls. "This is our Mira Marie Smith-Holmes."

Gibbs made his excuses as Tony bolted out the door. He walked out to the car and saw Tony leaning over the top, head resting on tightly clenched fists.

"What is wrong with me, Gibbs?" he whispered. "I wanted to rip that girl out of his arms. And I know she's not mine." He lifted his head and stared into the familiar cool blue gaze. "How can I feel this way about a baby that I haven't even seen yet?"

"It's called fatherhood."

Tony closed his eyes and flinched when he felt the warm hand settle on his shoulder. "Let's just get back to the office."

"On it."


	4. Chapter 4

"Abby?"

McGee looked over at her, wondering what had her attention so trapped. "Abby?"

When she still didn't look at him, he left his station and walked over to see what she was working on. He frowned when he saw a picture of Tony's little girl on the screen. "Abby? Are you all right?"

She whirled around and punched him straight in the gut, knocking the wind out of him. "You spying on me, McGee?"

"I called your name," he wheezed out. "What's wrong with you?"

"You did?" She searched his face for a sign that he was lying, but all she saw was wounded innocence underneath the redness from having the breath forced out of his lungs. "Sorry then. What did you need?"

"I finished tracking down those lawsuits and police reports." He straightened painfully and led her back to his computer. "None of those suits were ever followed up on, and the police reports never went anywhere because each complaint was dropped. In a couple of cases, Interpol itself handed down a desist order."

"Oh, that's just all kinds of hinky," Abby said. "Could you find out why?"

"Took me forever, since very few of them originated from the same country, but _every single family_ ended up dead. Plane crashes, fires, car crashes, home invasions gone bad… This is the tip of something huge."

"And once again, Tony's in the middle of it." Abby glanced over at where Jeanne had been sitting. "Where'd she go?"

"Bathroom, I guess." McGee glanced at the clock. "But she's been gone a while."

"I'll go look for her," Abby volunteered. She countered his suspicious expression with one of exasperation. "What? Like you're gonna go poking into all the ladies' restrooms?"

He opened his mouth before snapping it shut. "Be my guest," he said.

She grinned brightly. "By the way, that color red really goes with your tie." Planting a noisy kiss on his hotly colored cheek, she skipped out of the room. It felt great to smile again, even if it only lasted until she left the lab.

Heading toward the nearest restroom, she slowed down. Conflicted was too mild a word to describe the emotions churning through her. She desperately wanted things to work out for her friend, but Tony was going to get hurt one way or another. As much as she wanted to take care of him, Abby feared that she wouldn't be enough to help.

Pushing open the door of the bathroom, she listened, hearing the noises she expected but hoped that she could avoid. Waiting for the retching to stop, she looked everywhere except for the shoes visible beneath the door.

"Are you better?" Abby asked when the sounds eased off.

"Not really," Jeanne croaked. She coughed a few more times before staggering out of the stall.

Abby had some wet paper towels waiting for her. She accepted Jeanne's grateful look as she washed her face off. There wasn't much either of them could do to relieve the pallor that washed out Jeanne's features.

"The therapy or the cancer?"

Jeanne gulped. "Doesn't matter at this point. The doctor said it'd keep getting worse."

Abby surprised her with a quick hug. "No one deserves this," she said softly.

/\/\/\/\/\

Ziva paced around MTAC, frustrated at the impasse she'd encountered. "You cannot tell me that this many missing babies could just vanish and not draw attention!"

"I'm sorry, David, but the scale is too small to put manpower into," the woman protested, her French accent heavy. "I understand your anger, but if it were 200 children or 2000 children, _then_ we could interfere."

Her face looked clear and open, but Ziva wasn't fooled. "How can you put limits on this, Sophie? If this were your family, could you sit by and do nothing?"

"That's not fair," one of the gentlemen interrupted. "You know the nature of our business. You can't bring emotion into this, no matter how much you want to."

She whirled on him, irritated at his disruption. Something had flashed on Sophie's face at her questioning. "How can I not? Even if this wasn't my partner's child, if it was any sailor's child, I couldn't do less!"

"I'm sorry, Ziva, but I don't have any more time to spend on your goose chase," he said.

Catching Sophie's gaze again, Ziva hesitated before nodding stiffly. "If you hear any more, let me know." As the individual screens blackened, she paced around the room. When the door at the top of the stairs opened, she glared at the interruption.

"What do your contacts have to say?" Shepherd asked as she calmly descended to join Ziva.

Although the tone of voice was casual, the woman easily read the tension in the director's voice. "I believe Abdel called it a goose chase."

"Wild goose chase." Shepherd sank into one of the seats and indicated that Ziva should join her. "And what do you have to say about that?"

The feeling of being called to task by her father forced Ziva's defenses up. She silently sank into a seat, all the while subjecting her superior to serious scrutiny. "There's nothing more frustrating than knowing information is at your fingertips and not being able to access it," she said. "My father is a master at keeping even his closest allies from accessing crucial data."

Director Shepherd revealed no emotion, but Ziva didn't expect to see any from an agent trained by Gibbs. "Your father is known for keeping his own council."

Memories of meetings between the director and her father weighed heavily on her mind as Ziva searched for the appropriate tack of interrogation. "Why did you not pull Tony out?"

"He had assured me there was no need." The redhead displayed little emotion as she returned volley. "When would you have ended the op?"

Irritated that Shepherd had scored a point against her by reducing Tony to a mission, Ziva smiled tightly. "I don't believe I would have chosen that particular avenue of investigation. In fact," she leaned forward and pinned Jenny with a blazing glare, "Tactics like that are amateurish and only effective for alerting your prey of your interest. At least, that's what my father taught me."

Feeling grim satisfaction as she returned a direct hit on the director, she pushed further. "Surely he taught you that as well?" Ziva knew full well that Eli David never shared his investigative techniques with anyone outside his closest ring of agents.

Shepherd silently acknowledged the Mossad's successful parry by changing her approach. "I know you're familiar with Gibbs's rules." She waited for Ziva's cautious nod before launching another attack. "How do you think he'll appreciate you breaking rule 12?"

"About the same as you trampling rules 1, 10, 15, and 45," Ziva said. "Also, since the only time Tony and I have ever 'dated' was an undercover mission, I haven't actually broken that one. You, on the other hand, have broken 12 with Gibbs himself." She paused to make her point. "Or are you the basis for rule 12?"*

When she saw the director stiffen, she rose from her seat. "Now, if you will excuse me, I have a lead to follow."

"I thought you said your contacts had nothing for you," Shepherd said, eyebrows lifted delicately.

"No, I said Abdel told me I was wasting my time. Thanks to you, I now have two leads to follow up on." She inclined her head slightly. "Director."

Anger pumped adrenaline into her system, and she tried to burn it off by dashing up the stairs, then taking the long way around to get back to the lab. The director had indirectly given her some additional things to think about. There was something about her response that made her suspect that Shepherd had not been unaware of Tony's attachment. And in spite of the director's frustration at Tony's failure to bring in La Grenouille, Ziva wondered at the complete lack of interest in her partner's daughter.

She understood the director's antagonism toward Gibbs. Ziva knew that her boss had a particular way of rubbing people the wrong way, and ever since they'd watched Tony's car blow up with him supposedly inside, Gibbs had been on the warpath against Shepherd. Getting on Gibbs's bad side was akin to sharing a sub bunk with a mother grizzly protecting cubs. However, she'd noticed resentment when the director had given them her lead. Hesitating on the stair landing, Ziva contemplated that scene in the lab again. No, it wasn't just resentment. There was fear beneath the anger. So Gibbs knew something that the director feared.

That surprised Ziva. She'd worked with Jenny several times prior to this time at NCIS, and not once had she ever seen Shepherd scared. Taking the rest of the steps slower, she tried to come up with a reason that could frighten the director. Her mind drifted back to the last time Jeanne Benoit had entered their lives. Her accusations of murder against Tony had been ridiculous, but did the accusations themselves have merit? Ziva allowed her mind to wonder down that particular path, and she did not like where it ended up.

She burst into the lab, then glanced around in surprise. "McGee? Where is everyone else?"

"Abby went to see what was keeping Jeanne in the restroom," he said absently as he continued studying the screen before him. "Did you get anything?"

"Other than brickwalled?"

"Stonewalled," he corrected absently before looking at her. "Nothing?"

"I wouldn't say that." She took a seat beside him. "You've been looking into the adoption agency and the disappearances, yes?"

"Yeah."

"I need you to see if the name Sophie Beaumier is connected to any of it."

McGee looked up from the monitor and frowned. "Beaumier? Can you spell that one?" As she rattled off the letters, he started nodding quickly. "That's not how I would've pronounced it, but I've seen it." He rapidly tapped out a query on the keyboard. "Where did I see that? Aha!"

"What is it?" she asked, peering over his shoulder at the data.

"Beaumier was the surname of one of the families that filed a lawsuit against the adoption agency."

"I knew she was hiding something," Ziva said under her breath. "Can you see how Sophia is related to them?"

"Yeah, sure." Another query brought up a window. "Sophie was the sister of Jean-Marc Beaumier."

"Was?"

He looked at her. "Ziva, every single one of these families that filed suits or police reports are dead. The Beaumiers died in a house fire. Investigators blamed it on faulty wiring."

Ziva sat back in her chair. "Well, that explains quite well why she was so careful not to reveal any knowledge." She opened her mouth to speak when Abby and Jeanne walked back into the lab. Making her decision quickly, she stood and met Jeanne before she sat back down. "May I talk with you for a moment?"

Jeanne looked dubiously at the cool stare facing her before nodding slowly. Ziva glanced over at the Goth. "Abby, may we use your office?"

"Sure."

Ziva sat Jeanne down before leaning against the desk with studied ease. "You were here several months ago to accuse my partner of the murder of your father, were you not?"

"I was." Jeanne dropped her head briefly before meeting Ziva's glare. "For which I have apologized to Tony. I did it, knowing that he was innocent."

The Mossad growled. "You knew?"

"That's my burden to bear."

Ziva fought back her anger. "After you accused Tony, you had a discussion with Director Shepherd. What did she say to make you withdraw that accusation?"

"She talked a lot." Jeanne frowned as she sought the memory. "I'm not positive what she said. I know that she knew that I was lying about Tony." Closing her eyes momentarily, she opened them again and met Ziva's gaze frankly. "Given my emotional state, I can't recall precisely what she said, only that she convinced me it was in my own best interest to let the matter drop."

The fury simmering beneath the surface found another target as Jeanne's words supported Ziva's suspicions. She struggled to control herself before she spoke. "Thank you for your help." She turned to leave when Jeanne spoke again.

"You know who killed my father, don't you?"

"Truthfully, I do not."

"But you have a very good idea."

Ziva turned and faced her rival. "I have suspicions, yes. I will not act on them until I have evidence supporting those suspicions."

There was a long moment of silence, during which Ziva could not find the strength to break away from the sorrowful gaze of the other woman. "I won't ask you for a favor, since I know you wouldn't grant it. I can clearly see that you hate me for hurting your partner." Jeanne sighed. "I admit, I deserve that. So I won't ask for a favor. I'll ask for justice." She stood up and walked right up to Ziva, facing her without fear. "Find my father's killer. Make him pay." When she saw the hesitation in the officer's face, Jeanne straightened slightly. "Put yourself in my shoes. Imagine knowing that someone knows who murdered your father." With that, she left the office.

Ziva stood, chilled through by Jeanne's words. For all her disagreements with Eli David, she loved him. It took little effort to sympathize, knowing of all her father's enemies.

It was a somewhat chastened Ziva that joined the others a few moments later. She sent Sophie a coded text, giving her instructions to find a clean phone and supplying a secure number to receive her call. She then began searching for the evidence to confirm her suspicions.

*Gibbs's Rules, as per research online.

_Rule #1 – Never screw over your partner._

_Rule #10 – Never get personally involved in a case._

_Rule #15 – Always work as a team._

_Rule #45 – Clean up the mess you make._

_Rule #12 – Never date a coworker._


	5. Chapter 5

Gibbs and Tony walked into the lab. Abby, McGee, and Ziva were quietly working, while Jeanne sat at one of the exam tables, her head resting on her arms. Gibbs caught his senior agent's eye. "Go ahead and take her home. Get some rest."

"When you do," Tony said.

Sensing an impasse, the older man hesitated before nodding. "Fine." He cleared his throat and got his agents' attention. "It's late. Let's all get some sleep. We'll take a look at it all again in the morning."

McGee and Ziva looked up in surprise, but Abby stared for a moment and nodded. She made the motions of saving her findings and shutting down her workstation.

When Tony heard the grumblings of his coworkers and Gibbs's response that they all needed the rest, he woke Jeanne up and gathered her things. Once they were out of the lab, Gibbs nodded to the rest and motioned for them to stay put. He left the lab but returned soon.

"I needed to make sure Tony actually left with her. Report," he said, pulling up a stool and peering at the three.

Abby turned her monitor back on and looked at McGee. "Timmy's got stuff," she said.

"Boss, every single family that's filed any kind of report or complaint against the ICH has died." He launched into the details of what he'd found. "Whoever is behind this adoption agency, it's big enough that they have no problem permanently silencing anyone who would bring up any kind of official investigation."

Ziva added her findings. "One of my contacts had her brother and his family killed." She hesitated before plunging on. "I've sent her a message, asking for covert contact, but she has not responded yet."

Gibbs turned to Abby. "What is it that you're trying not to tell us?"

She sighed shakily. "Can you order a very quiet protection detail for Tony first?"

"Abs?"

"The ICH looks like a legit entity. They've got all the right paperwork, all the right filings. There was only one gray area that I found any thread to follow." She sniffed loudly. "Gibbs, they're the public front for a shadow group. I can't find a name, but I've found where they've had influence. There are agents within Interpol, Scotland Yard, and just about every major law enforcement agency in Europe, and America, that have ties to this group."

"Damn!" Gibbs growled. Yanking out his cell phone, he started punching numbers before freezing. "Any connections within NCIS?"

She shook her head. "I haven't had a chance to check out individual names yet, but I haven't seen any of us. I'll keep checking, though."

"What about FBI?"

"Yeah."

Gibbs smiled grimly. "Prefer keeping it in-house anyway." He finished his call and placed a detail outside of Tony's apartment. "I'll go over there and check on him." Staring directly at each of them, he asked, "Which of you need to go home?"

No one responded. Gibbs nodded. "I didn't figure you'd leave, so here's what I want. Abby, you've been up the longest. Go nap in your office. As soon as you're back up, McGee and Ziva can take a shift and rest." He raised his hands against the protest. "I'm going to grab a couple hours, too, same as Abby. There's no way I want to stop this until we've found Renee, but we have to sleep." He sighed. "McGee, switch gears. Try to track and see if we can figure out where Renee might be. Ziva…" He saw her face and her vigorous head-shaking behind Abby and McGee's backs. "My office."

As soon as the emergency stop was pulled, Ziva turned on him. "When did you know that the director killed Rene Benoit?"

Gibbs stared at her evenly. "When he turned up dead."

She shook her head. "Why have you not done something about it? Why let her stay in her office?"

"I don't have to answer you, Officer David, but I will anyway." He let his silence filter through the elevator before speaking. "Jennifer Shepherd is a dangerous woman, and until she goes beyond the point of redemption, I prefer to keep her where she is so I can watch her." When Ziva straightened indignantly, he raised a finger to forestall her speaking. "She won't get away with it. As bad as I am at playing politics, even I can see that this is not a good time to bring down the director of a military investigative agency. But believe me, she will pay."

Ziva weighed his words. "Fine. Until such a time as I see fit, I'll hold my peace. So what would you have me do while McGee is tracing DiNozzo's daughter?"

"Just do what's needed." He laid a hand on her shoulder. "I trust you."

They took the elevator back to the lab level, and he watched her walk back into the lab. Pride in her job, if nothing else, assured him that she would do her best. He pushed the button for the garage level and leaned back against the wall. Having been on the go for more than 36 hours was starting to wear on him. He'd swing by Tony's place, check out the perimeter, then hit the sack at his house.

Once in his car, he was free to let his mind wander. Ziva's accusation came back to him. Something had sparked her suspicions, and Gibbs hoped that she would respect him enough to let his explanation stand.

His own suspicions that Jenny had disposed of Benoit had surfaced when The Frog had vanished. While it was entirely possible, probable even, that he'd simply gone into hiding, his gut said otherwise. When the body had been pulled from the water, he knew that Jenny had killed him. Since he had never confronted her directly about the killing, he couldn't be totally sure that it was murder or self-defense. Something told him, though, that when it came to defending her father's name, Jenny Shepherd was absolutely capable of cold-blooded murder.

Pulling onto Tony's street, he slowed down, looking around until he found the unmarked car parked on the street. He nodded absently as he took in that the agent was placed with the best line of sight for the apartment complex. Driving past the car, he glanced in and slammed on the brakes. He zipped into a parking space and pulled his gun. Another, closer look confirmed his first glimpse as he saw the agent slumped back against the seat. He'd seen too many dead men to doubt his eyes.

Weapon drawn, he ran for the apartment, hoping he wasn't too late.

/\/\/\/\/\

"You want the shower first?" Tony asked as he pulled into his parking space and turned off the car. He tried to keep it light, but the whole situation was wearing on him. He looked around, seeing nothing out of place but searched the shadows outside the street lights. Something felt off, and he honestly couldn't tell if there was something really wrong or he was just exhausted.

"If you don't mind," she said. "I need my bag from my car."

He nodded and stepped out to walk with her to the visitor parking section. She pulled a small suitcase out of the trunk, which Tony immediately took from her and held while she closed and locked the car. With his hand in the small of her back, he guided her into the building, eyes scanning around for danger.

It was late enough that the building was quiet except for the murmur of an occasional television. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary, which only set Tony on edge more. He got them into his apartment and found a towel for Jeanne to use. As soon as he heard the water start running, he went into the kitchen and sat at the table again. The three hours sleep he'd gotten earlier were long gone. Rolling his shoulders, he debated whether he should shower before or after catching some shuteye. It was relaxing to listen to the subtle drone of the water. Blinking his eyes, he tried to stay awake.

Tony froze. He wasn't sure what had drawn his eye to his front door, but he saw the doorknob turn slowly. Adrenaline surged through him, assisting his assessment of the situation. Gun was in his bedroom – too far to go to get it. Knife – he slid a long kitchen knife out of the drawer and grasped it firmly.

The door opened, and he saw the drawn weapon. Even as he leaped, trying to make the most of the element of surprise, he heard Gibbs's voice in his head yelling at him for bringing a knife to a gunfight. The suppressed pop of a silencer coincided with a burning sensation, but he didn't stop. Couldn't stop, as he processed the cessation of noise as the shower turned off.

Swiping toward the gun hand with his knife, Tony heard the second shot but wasn't sure if he was hit again. The weapon hit the floor, and he stabbed again, this time meeting the flurry of fast hand-to-hand attacks that followed the loss of the firearm. He was rather surprised to realize his hand was empty; the knife stuck out of the attacker's leg – the result of Tony blocking a martial arts style kick with it. A hard, quick punch hit him, and the breath rushed out of his lungs when pain far more intense than the result of a simple blow shook his body.

Vision blurring, Tony fell back, reeling with pain and regret that he couldn't protect Jeanne, that he'd never see his daughter. He tried to stand upright again, desperate for one last effort to take down this assassin before he died. The hooded figure bent to retrieve the fallen gun when a shot rang out. Watching his attacker reel and stumble toward the sofa, Tony blinked, not sure his fuzzy mind was following what happened. Another shot rang out, putting the attacker on the ground unmoving. Tony felt his legs give way as a scream filled the apartment.

"Jeanne!"

"She's fine, DiNozzo," Gibbs said as he caught the younger man. "What have I told you?"

Tony grinned weakly. "Never go anywhere without a knife?" He took the gentle tap on the head in stride, then met Jeanne's terrified gaze as he looked up into her white face. "You're okay?"

"Yeah, but you're not." Wrapped in a white robe, hair dripping water, Jeanne knelt beside Tony as Gibbs held him in a sitting position. "Lay him down." The doctor in her took over, too used to working in the trauma unit to be flustered by the situation. "I need his shirt open."

Gibbs yanked out his own blade and slit the fabric. Tony groaned. "Aw, I like this shirt."

"Too bad. Shouldn't get yourself shot." He followed Jeanne's directions as she quickly assessed the situation.

"I need a first aid kit." She looked into Tony's eyes. "Do you have one?"

"Under the sink in the bathroom. Rule #1. Always be prepared."

Gibbs snorted. "Not my rule. And you were never a Boy Scout." He went into the bathroom to retrieve the kit.

"Grab some towels, too."

Jeanne concentrated on the bloodstained torso. There was a hole in his right shoulder, high enough to have missed most of his organs, but low enough to have possibly nicked his lung. She leaned down and held her ear by the wound. "Tony, take as deep a breath as you can."

She listened as he inhaled, then exhaled in a long hiss. "Sorry. I know that hurt, but I needed to check." Taking a towel from Gibbs, she rolled it into a thick pad and pressed firmly on the wound. "Sorry again."

"Been here before," he grunted.

She met Gibbs's gaze as he knelt on the other side of Tony. "I don't believe his lung was hit. If we can get the bleeding slowed, he should be stable enough to move. Help me check if there's an exit wound."

Gibbs rolled Tony toward him, allowing Jeanne to hold the pressure on with one hand and slip her other hand underneath. "The bullet's still inside him. Call for an ambulance."

"No hospital," both men said together.

"I'll call Ducky, have you take him back to the Navy Yard. We'll process this scene," Gibbs said. "Ducky's got everything we need in the autopsy."

Jeanne's eyes widened. "Autopsy?"

"Right now, just trust me." The man held her horrified stare. "I'm not about to let anything else happen to him. Can you find your way back?"

"I'll get her there, boss."

They ignored Tony's woozy words. She finally nodded. "Help me get him stabilized so he won't bleed all over the car."

"You're not taking my car. Not gonna bleed in there. Won't get it out of the upholstery."

Gibbs glanced at his agent. "You still hanging in there?"

He was answered by a drunken, "Yup." A shiver shook his body.

"He could be going into shock," Jeanne said. "Find a blanket to wrap around him." She cautiously removed the towel and checked the wound. Nodding absently, she replaced the towel with a thick pad of bandages from the kit. She taped it down tightly, tuning out his groan. "Give me two minutes to get dressed." Gibbs's quick nod went ignored as she dashed to the bedroom.

Gibbs supported most of Tony's weight as they managed to get him down to the lobby. "My car's this way," she said, pointing away from Tony's car.

"His is faster."

"Mine has sat-nav."

Gibbs nodded. "All right. Someone will be there to help you in the garage." He pulled Tony's wallet out of his pocket. "Show them this at the gate," he instructed, handing her his agent's badge. "Take care of him."

"I'm not dead yet," Tony grumbled, then giggled. "Get it? Monty Python? I'm not dead yet."

Another gentle slap on his head brought DiNozzo's gaze around to him. "I still haven't given you permission to die yet."

"Got it, boss."

Jeanne concentrated on entering their destination before pulling away from the complex as fast as she dared. She glanced over at Tony, who was watching her with a strange expression. "What?"

"I've seen you in action before, but you're a really good doctor." He glanced down at the bandage on his chest. "Ducky couldn't have done it any better."

"Just who is this Ducky?"

Tony grinned. "He's our ME. Dr. Donald Mallard, Scottish physician extraordinaire."

"Your coroner is the one who's going to treat you?" she asked.

"Well, he is my primary doctor." He reached out and touched her arm. "Don't worry. He's very discrete."

She looked back over at him, startled, but his eyes were closed. "Tony?"

"Hmmm?"

"Stay awake for me, Tony."

"Okay." He opened his eyes again and shivered. "I'm cold."

She turned on the heater. "Here's looking at you, kid." When he didn't answer, Jeanne touched his arm. "Tony? 'Here's looking at you, kid.'"

"Casablanca," he mumbled. "Give me a hard one."

She concentrated for a moment. "All right. Try this one. 'I'm on my way to Australia.'"

"Support Your Local Sheriff, James Garner. Awesome movie." His head nodded forward.

"'Inconceivable!'" When he was silent, she said it again, louder. "Tony, 'Inconceivable!'"

"You keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means," he said, his words slurring slightly. "The Princess Bride. You're cheating, giving me easy ones. Give me another one."

"Umm… 'Mongo only pawn in game of life.'"

Tony snorted. "Blazing Saddles. Mel Brooks. Wait. You've seen a Mel Brooks movie?"

"I've seen most of them." She glanced over and saw the incredulous look on his face. "I have. Spaceballs, Men in Tights, Dracula, The Producers, To Be or Not To Be, Young Frankenstein." She grinned. "Who speaks the only spoken line in Silent Movie?"

"Marcel Marceau." He let his head fall back against the headrest. "All right. I give. You know your Brooks."

"I dated a guy who was obsessed. He even had Twelve Chairs, which I didn't even think was very funny."

She kept him talking until she pulled in at the security gate. Gibbs had paved the way, because all she needed to do was show Tony's badge and lean back so the guard could see him in the seat beside her to wave her through. She pulled in beside Abby's hearse. "Tony?"

There was no response this time, so she quickly checked his bandage and grimaced. He'd started bleeding heavily again, and there were trails of blood leaking from the saturated gauze pad. A knock at the window beyond Tony drew her gaze up to meet an elderly man's face, and she squeaked in surprise.

"I'm Dr. Mallard," he said as he opened the door. "What has our dear Anthony gotten into this time?"

"Single GSW, upper right chest. No exit wound. He was showing signs of going into shock. I had the bleeding slowed earlier, but it's started again. He lost consciousness at the gate."

Ducky quickly took his pulse and nodded as he listened to her information. "Pulse is a little thready. Unconsciousness could be from a variety of factors." He stood and turned away, and Jeanne noticed another man manning a stretcher behind him. "Mr. Palmer?"

Between the two men, they maneuvered Tony onto the stretcher. The younger man, Mr. Palmer, pushed the gurney back toward the elevator, but when Jeanne started to follow, Ducky caught her arm. "Just a moment, my dear."

"But I've got to treat Tony – "

"Mr. Palmer will get Anthony settled. I'd like to speak with you privately for just a few moments."

Jeanne nodded and shivered, the cool air of the garage mixing with discomfort at the elderly doctor's intense look. "About?"

"I'm sure you've already met the rest of the team," he began, linking his arm with hers and leading her back into the building. "And you've noticed that they all are quite protective of each other. Jethro and Abigail, in particular." He caught her gaze until she nodded.

"I've already heard about how Tony wasn't supposed to fall in love with me," she said quietly.

"He saw something in you, my dear, that drew him. I'm not going to repeat what the rest of the team has assuredly told you. Instead, I'm going to tell you what I see." Once they got into the elevator, he reached over and stopped it. Jeanne raised an eyebrow. Ducky smiled. "A very wise man showed me this." He paused, trying to weigh his words. "I see a woman before me who has made mistakes, ones that she regrets. I see a woman who loves, deeply, and regrets that she allowed herself to succumb to anger. And I see a man who has never moved on."

"I hate what I did to him." She lifted her face defensively. "My reasons, however foolish, were valid to me at the time. But yes, I never stopped loving him. And the while time I was pregnant with Renee, all I could think was that I'd always have a piece of him."

The ME leveled a long look at her. "And whatever decisions you've made, you'll be paying for them soon. Have you told Anthony yet?"

Jeanne paled. Tony's mumbled words about this man being discrete poked at her memory uncomfortably. "No, I haven't."

Ducky sighed and put his hand on her shoulder sympathetically. "Just remember how you felt when you found out about his secret. You could have had a chance to remedy his deception."

"I'm sorry," she said, sniffing against the fresh onslaught of tears stinging. "I seem to be crying a lot."

Ever the gentleman, Ducky dug out his handkerchief and offered it. "Just tell him before he figures it out for himself," he said. "Now, let's go see to our friend."

/\/\/\/\/\/\

Tony woke up shivering. He gritted his teeth against the pain that burned in his shoulder.

"Hey, you're awake." Jimmy Palmer's normally cheerful face was shadowed as he leaned over Tony. "Here. I didn't have time to get you a pillow because you had a bleeder."

"Jeanne?"

"She's with Ducky. She's really pretty, Tony. I can see why she hooked you."

A grunt answered Palmer. "So when are you going to put in something to make these tables a little warmer?"

"You and Gibbs are the only ones to complain, actually." Jimmy grinned when Tony rolled his eyes. "What? The dead don't seem to mind."

"Yeah, well, seeing as how my ass now has frostbite, I'd say I mind a lot." When Palmer pulled a blanket up around him, leaving just his wound exposed, Tony nodded. "Thanks."

Whatever else they would have said was put on hold by the entrance of Ducky and Jeanne. Tony immediately focused on her pale face, noticing the well-hidden signs of tears. However, whatever she was hiding, she was completely professional as she walked over and looked at him.

Their gazes locked for a moment, and she grasped his hand for an instant before she went to work. Utilizing the ME's fully stocked medical kit, courtesy of both Leroy Jethro Gibbs and Anthony DiNozzo, Jeanne quickly cleaned the wound. Ducky administered a local anesthesia, and as soon as it took effect, she began digging for the projectile.

The clang from the slug hitting the specimen bowl echoed through the room, and everyone breathed a sigh of relief. "Mr. Palmer, would you do the honor of logging this into evidence and getting it to the lab?" Ducky asked. "Then get the van ready. I'll meet you there."

"Of course, Dr. Mallard."

The elderly doctor was wise enough to withdraw and give the couple the privacy they required. Jeanne finished dressing the wound, administering an antibiotic shot to finish up.

"You don't have to talk about it," he said, a flicker of a grin meeting her surprised expression.

"Talk about what?"

"Whatever Ducky talked to you about."

Jeanne sighed shakily and stared into the intense hazel gaze. "You know, don't you?" He didn't speak, but instead lifted his hand and touched her face. "When did you figure it out?"

"Does it really matter?" He swallowed, not really wanting to hear this answer. "How bad is it?"

"Bad."

Tony's eyes closed. Inhaling deeply, he tensed his shoulder, testing the remains of the local. When only a twinge met his efforts, he opened his eyes. "Help me up."

"Tony, no. I just pulled a bullet out of you."

"And me laying here on a slab isn't going to bring Renee home." His expression was as close to pleading as she'd ever seen. "Please."

She nodded and slipped her arm beneath him, helping him to sit.


	6. Chapter 6

_AN: Thanks for all the awesome reviews! Big hugs everywhere! _

_This is a very short chapter, but there's only one more long-ish chapter and the epilogue to go, and I hope to get them posted tomorrow. Hope you enjoy!_

McGee and Ziva had been working for less than an hour when they got the call from Gibbs. Long practice had them both mobilized and out of the building within minutes, particularly when Gibbs shot out a familiar address as the crime scene. To expedite their arrival, McGee willingly yielded the wheel to the Israeli, who lived up to her reputation and made it to Tony's apartment ten minutes faster than his best time.

He looked around, familiar with the apartment. The blood smear on the wall by the kitchen, the blood spatter on the usually spotless floor, and the body lying by the leather sofa were mentally cataloged as starting points.

"McGee, shoot and sketch. Ziva, start interviewing the neighbors." Gibbs paced around the room. "We can't process the body until Ducky gets here, and it'll be a while."

"Where are Tony and Jeanne?" McGee asked as he got the camera out and began snapping pictures.

"Ducky is helping her with Tony, so he'll call when they're on their way here."

"Why does Tony need helping?" Ziva asked.

"Because he has no strength," McGee said under his breath. He caught the startled look on Gibbs's face and blushed when he realized he'd been heard. "Sorry, Boss."

The older man nodded at him. "The shooter got Tony in the shoulder. Jeanne got him back to the Navy Yard so Ducky could work on him." He saw the fear on her face and softened his expression. "I've seen worse, and Jeanne treated him immediately. I'll let you know as soon as I get an update."

When Ziva left, Gibbs turned to McGee, who was busily trying to stay below the radar. "Don't apologize, Tim. It's nice to hear the movie quotes."

"Didn't realize you were familiar with The Princess Bride, Boss."

Gibbs cuffed him lightly. "You really think I could work with DiNozzo this many years and _not _know those movies?"

Tim watched covertly as Gibbs grabbed a sketch pad and began working. He'd taken a couple writing classes in his spare time, and one of them had required keeping an observation journal. The class had begun as a lark, but after a week of keeping the journal, he realized how useful those observation skills were both for his writing and his job. Putting those skills to work now, he scrutinized the older man.

Aside from the exhaustion stamped on Gibbs's face, Tim could see the worry. Worry, he decided, not just from the missing infant but also worry for his agent. McGee wondered how much of that was because of the attack and how much was from the woman who'd come back in his life.

Turning his surveillance back to the scene at hand, he clicked away, taking pictures from the doorway, from the kitchen, and working his way around the perimeter of the room and in to the body. He heard Gibbs answer his phone and paused long enough to hear the relieved sigh. Focusing again, he got up to the body. The flash had cast an odd outline on the floor, highlighting something that was out of place. He knelt by the body and turned on the flashlight app on his phone, shining it down in several different angles. Satisfied that he was right, or at least as certain as he could be without touching the body, he called out for Gibbs.

"I think our assassin here is a woman."

"Show me."

The app flared to life again, and McGee demonstrated the outline that highlighted feminine curves hidden under the black tactical gear. "It's not apparent just looking at her, but the silhouette, well, looks feminine."

A semi-impressed grunt answered his suspicions, and McGee took it as praise. "Not sure what it means, but it's something."

Gibbs pointed at the sliver of watch face peeking out from between the jacket sleeve and the glove. "I can't be sure yet, but that watch looks like Special Forces issue."

"Women don't serve in the Special Forces," Tim said.

"No, but there are a handful of government agencies that use some of the same gear, including the CIA and the NSA, and they all use female agents." Gibbs shook his head. "I don't like where this is going."

"A possible government sponsored hit on Tony?" McGee asked. "Or was it a hit on Jeanne? Leftovers from her father?"

"Good questions, but we need answers, not more questions. Finish up here and then see what you can find in the way of evidence that we can bag before processing the body." He smiled. "And Tony's okay."

"Good."

/\/\/\/\/\/\

Jenny Shepherd sat at her desk, much like she had all weekend. The early Monday shift would be coming in soon, but she didn't care. When she'd taken the Director's position, she was thrilled that she'd be able to avenge her father's memory. However, every piece of that operation kept coming back to haunt her.

How could DiNozzo be so _stupid_ as to fall for his mark? She spun the chair back and forth, needing to vent frustrated energy. His psych profile had been perfect. Obvious commitment issues based on his fiancée dumping him after his injury. Loyal to a fault, particularly when it came to Gibbs. Father figure issues, trust issues, abandonment issues – all of it pointed to a stellar undercover agent. And he was. His record, all the way back to his cop days, was full of commendations for different undercover ops, including two recommendations from Gibbs and one from Morrow.

It hadn't taken much to get inside Tony's psyche and plant notions about how Gibbs would want him to help her out. She'd laid it on thick about how they were truly comrades in arms, having both been trained by Jethro. And he'd been a gem for the first six months of the mission.

In spite of the somewhat dense perception she'd fostered for Gibbs, Jenny had been very aware of DiNozzo's attachment. Her error had been to think that his professionalism would win out in the end. It had, but certainly not as she'd intended. And while she'd endorsed the sexual aspect of his cover, there was no excuse for his fathering a child.

She wondered which of her decisions had fostered the karma that had come back to bite her in the ass with this one. The baby had been a total shock, and she hated herself for allowing Gibbs to sense her weakness on that point. He'd taken advantage of her, an advantage she was prepared to regain.

The monitor in front of her beeped, letting her know her call was ready. She put it on the large display and pasted a pleasant expression on her face.

"Director Shepherd," the man said, bowing his head slightly. "I apologize for the timing of this conference, but with the time difference…"

"That's one of the disadvantages of the job, Maurice," she said smoothly. "So, what do you have for me?"

The distinguished older man regarded her shrewdly. "Patience, Jennifer." He smiled without showing teeth. Her raised brow amused him. "Very well. I can see that this is not a time to play coy."

"Is Kort still in place?"

"Of course. He has nearly achieved his goal. Another few weeks will see him in a place of power where he can give us complete access inside the entire operation." Maurice narrowed his eyes as he studied Shepherd. "But that isn't what has you worried, is it?"

"No."

He sank back into his chair. "And what exactly are you wanting to know about?"

"Why you didn't take care of Jeanne Benoit like you promised." Jenny crossed her arms and leaned against her desk. "You assured me that she would not come back to haunt me, yet she sits in this very building at this very moment."

"Jeanne is there?" he asked, but Jenny could see through his faux surprise.

"Why isn't she dead? You promised me that she wouldn't live out the month. That was six months ago."

Maurice frowned slightly. "We didn't think that she would. Her own physician swore that the cancer was terminal."

Jenny paced around the office. "Not only that, but she carried her child to term. A child that no one _bothered _to inform me of."

"A child?"

A less experienced investigator would have bought the shock on the man's face. "Nice try, Maurice. As close a watch as you were _supposed_ to keep on her, I find it beyond comprehension that something of that consequence could go unnoticed."

The bitter sarcasm drew a short laugh. "You amuse me, Madame Director."

"Stow it. Where is she?" Jenny's face reddened in frustration. "Are you keeping her to safeguard yourself?"

"My dear Jennifer. You misunderstand." Maurice settled back in his leather chair, elbows resting on the arms and fingers laced indolently in front of him. "It's not me I'm safeguarding. It's you." As the angry color began to drain from her face, he nodded. "I see you understand now. Agent DiNozzo's daughter is quite safe. And little Renee is indeed a safeguard, but she is just another link to keeping you in check. Or did you think you could really get away with killing her grandfather?"

"I am the director of NCIS. I have the power of the United States Secretary of the Navy behind me." She tried to gather as much bravado as she could to face him. "I don't give a shit about that baby. But right now, DiNozzo and Gibbs are hot on your trail, looking for her. If I were you, I'd be more worried about them."

"But I'm not you. The girl will be returned to Agent DiNozzo in such a way that they will stop looking, so I'm not concerned about your team, no matter how good they are. We are protected. They cannot touch us. But quite frankly, Director Shepherd," and he leaned forward to make his point, "I would be worried about another skin, if I were you."

"So, you're just returning her? And you think that will stop them from looking?" Jenny spat.

Maurice smiled, a Cheshire cat grin that drove a shudder down her spine. "I know it will."

The screen went dark, and Jenny wrapped her arms around herself, trying to generate some warmth to combat the chill that his warning generated. This had gotten way out of hand.


	7. Chapter 7

Ziva sat in the lab, going over the notes she'd gathered from her canvas of Tony's building. Given the late hour, no one had heard or seen anything until Gibbs had fired his two shots, downing the assassin. The only exception had been the neighbors across the hall, Wanda Cantrelli, who had told her of Jeanne's visits through the previous week.

Sitting up and stretching, she looked around the lab. Abby's vacation replacement worked on another team's sample, keeping to himself as he watched the group gathered there. A small smile graced her lips as she noticed the leery looks he kept casting at an obviously exhausted Abby. Apparently she had even the temporary workers scared of her.

Her phone buzzed on her hip, and Ziva had it in her hand before conscious thought directed it. Seeing the unfamiliar number on the display, she slipped out into corridor to take it. The expected coded message had her pulling out her spare cell phone – her clean throwaway for secure calls – and quickly dialed the return number.

"Sophie?" Ziva asked.

"This has to be quick. It's not safe," the other woman said.

"Understood. I know about your connection."

A quick, shuddery sigh answered that. "I'm only doing this to prevent the same thing from happening to your partner. Don't ask questions, just follow directions."

"What do you mean?" The words were out before Ziva could stop them.

"This is going down now. Just do as I say." Sophie dropped her voice to a near whisper. "The couple who has the child is in Washington at this moment. They are leaving for Canada tonight, so this has to go quickly. I have two aliases, and I don't know which one they're going by at this time, but I'm pretty sure that it's one of these. Brian and Karen Matheson, or Alain and Veronique St. Michel."

"And they have the baby?"

"Yes. These people are dangerous, though. They have shown up in several of our investigations into al-Qaeda cells, but they are always on the edges so we cannot tie them directly into terrorist activities." Sophie choked on a sob before she could continue. "I believe they were also involved in Jean-Marc's death. So be careful."

"Thank you so much," Ziva said, putting as much sympathy as she could into the words.

"Farewell, my friend."

As soon as the connection ended, she dashed back into the lab. "McGee! I need you to find everything you can about these names. Brian and Karen Matheson, and Alain and Veronique St. Michel."

"On it," he said, bringing up a new tab even as he began typing the names in. An impatient frown creased his face as he had to wait for the computer to keep up with his demands. His search only lasted a moment, but it was long enough to have the whole team gathered around.

"Brian and Karen Matheson, British ex-pats living in Malta, according to their passports. Currently in France." Flicking to the other tab that had just finished loading, he read off that search. "Alain and Veronique, Algerian nationals who flew into DC last Wednesday."

"Current location?" Gibbs barked.

"Hotel downtown. Address is coming up right now."

"Ziva, McGee, gear up!" he ordered as he turned toward the door. Tony stood in his way. "We'll bring her back, Tony."

"I'm going."

Gibbs thought about ordering him down, but one look into his senior agent's eyes and he knew better. "Grab your gear, and meet up in the garage. Now, people!"

"Tony!" Jeanne tugged at the tee shirt that Tony had retrieved from his locker earlier. "You've been shot. I trust them to take care of this, to take care of her."

"I do, too," he said as he tucked his gun into his holster and slid on his Kevlar vest.

"Then why risk going? I just pulled a bullet out of you."

He saw the fear in her face and smiled, the first truly DiNozzo smile that had graced his face since Friday. "Because _that's _who I am." He leaned down and placed a quick kiss on her lips and then ran out the door, pulling on an emblazoned NCIS jacket.

Jeanne looked around, seeing Abby watching her. "That's who he really is," Abby said, walking over to Jeanne. Her voice dropped to a whisper. "That's the man _I _fell in love with."

Sitting silent for a long moment, Jeanne finally nodded. "I think that's what I saw, too." Reaching out and taking Abby's hand, she looked up and met the girl's gaze. "I know Tony and Renee will be well taken care of, once I'm gone."

"You better believe it."

/\/\/\/\/\/\

Tony noticed his teammates giving him measured glances as they sped toward the address McGee had generated. Surreptitiously testing his shoulder, he felt the ache of the deeper wound, the slight tug of the stitches, but the thrill of finally getting a real lead on his daughter's whereabouts had his system singing. That little injury would _not _stop him from rescuing Renee.

Gibbs's driving kept everyone on edge, as usual, but they made it through traffic with few problems. Flashing badges through the lobby, they took the stairs to the third floor. Fortunately, the suspects occupied the corner suite, limiting the amount of collateral damage possible if this devolved into a shoot-out.

A series of quick signals set the team up in their assigned duties. Gibbs and Ziva went in first, kicking the door open and shouting for surrender. A split second of surprise was all the warning they got as McGee and Tony followed in support, and shots rang out. Gibbs went down hard, but Ziva and Tony took down the male who'd fired with a double-tap apiece.

As quickly as the shooting began, it ended as a woman walked out of the other room, baby tucked in one arm and a gun in the other.

"You fire again, and the chi–"

The words weren't even out of her mouth before a hole appeared in her forehead. She stood for a second, body trying to process the sudden lack of information driving it before her legs gave out and she began to fall. Ziva and McGee dove forward, trying to catch her so the baby wouldn't hit the ground.

Tony finally got his body to respond after the lightning-fast shocks of the danger the baby had been in. He got to the woman just after his partners had eased her to the ground. Carefully he pulled back the blanket from the infant's face and was greeted by the same angelic visage that he'd memorized from the Interpol file.

She was crying, screaming at the sudden noises and the jostling. Tony scooped her up, ignoring the pulling and burning in his shoulder as he settled the light, squirming body of his daughter in his arms. He looked back at Gibbs, who was lying on the floor, holding his still-smoking gun. Tony's search was over.

/\/\/\/\/\/\

The ambulance sat outside, with Gibbs sitting on the back, stripped to the waist. There was a swiftly blackening bruise on his side where the vest had stopped the bullet. He grudgingly submitted to the paramedics' care as Ducky stood beside him, lecturing him.

Tony sat in the car, glancing over to reassure himself that Gibbs really was all right. Renee had settled down, once Ziva had found the bottle that the woman had prepared. The nearly empty bottle sat beside him as she blinked and cooed and stared around.

"She's so beautiful," he said softly to Jeanne, who had ridden to the scene with Ducky and Palmer.

Jeanne had joyfully reacquainted herself with her daughter before giving her to Tony. "Yes. It tore me up to see how much she looked like you. Even if I had never come back, I would've always been reminded of you."

Tony smiled. "All I see is you. She has your face."

"But her eyes have lightened up so much since she was born. I think she'll have yours when they settle." She let the silence stretch out comfortably, broken only by baby gurgles.

"Would you have ever come back to me?"

Jeanne ran a gentle finger over Renee's cheek. "Yes. Even if I hadn't been sick, or she hadn't been taken, I couldn't have stayed away forever." Refusing to meet his eyes, she bit her lip. "But I don't know how long it would've taken. I was so scared."

"Then we'll take advantage of what time we have."

A knock on the window started them, and Tony turned to meet Gibbs's gaze. He'd put his shirt and jacket back on, and he pretended it was easy to ignore the hole still visible from the shot. "Yeah, boss?" he asked as rolled down the window.

"We've got this handled." He nodded over to where McGee was struggling to carry a huge bundle of things. "I called in a favor. You'll need a car seat, and there are a few necessities that I had picked up." Without waiting for an answer, he turned back toward the activity.

"Wait!" Tony opened the door and struggled to his feet, trying to balance Renee and deal with his increasingly sore shoulder. "Gibbs."

When the older man turned, Tony smiled and lifted his daughter. "I think you deserve a chance to hold her."

Without giving Gibbs a chance to back away, Tony shifted her into his arms. Gibbs stood, settling her into a more natural position. Memories of his own daughter resting like this flooded back, and while they burned with bittersweet fire, he couldn't help but feel the joy radiating from his agent. He gladly allowed Tony's happiness to blunt his grief. Focusing his attention on the baby, he noticed that Renee blended the best of Tony and Jeanne in her tiny face.

"She's beautiful," he said, unknowingly echoing her father's words from a few moments earlier. "You're so lucky, Tony."

"I know." He took Renee back and looked his boss in the eye. "I owe you."

Gibbs shook his head. "No, you don't."

"As long as I live, I can never repay you for your help in finding her." Tony smiled. "And she'll grow up knowing how much the DiNozzo family owes her Uncle Jethro."

A short bark of genuine laughter surprised them both. The image of a toddler, wanting piggy-back rides from 'Uncle Jethro' amused him. "Well, you know what uncles are for, right? Sugar up the kids then send them home to mom and dad."

"And I'm thrilled to have to deal with that." Tony laughed, showing the DiNozzo that Gibbs knew and had missed through this case.

"Go find a hotel, since your apartment's still taped off. Get some rest. That's an order."

"On it, boss."

/\/\/\/\/\

Exhaustion and pain drove Jethro to his utter limit. He longed for a coffee mug full of bourbon, the smell of sawdust, and his bed. His gut, on the other hand, would not grant him that rest yet.

It took several hours after he sent Tony and Jeanne off to clean up the mess generated by the shooting. Once he'd dealt with the last of Reynolds's team asking questions, then Homeland Security showing up to assume control once identities on the dead couple had been ascertained, he'd driven back to NCIS at much less than his typical breakneck speed. He needed to think.

As much as it pained him, this search had stirred up too much to simply be over. Ziva's discovery of Jenny's crimes would not be forgotten. He sighed, wincing as it tweaked his sore ribs. That betrayal no doubt burned into her as much as it did him. He knew that the director had to pay for her transgressions, but he couldn't think of a way that wouldn't drag NCIS down with her.

"Damn it, Jenny," he whispered, smacking the steering wheel with the heel of his hand. "What the hell were you doing? What are you up to?" The questions banged away at him, even after he'd passed the gate and parked. They refused to let up, even as he headed back to Abby's lab.

The lab was nearly silent; her vacation replacement the only one bustling around. He blanched when he saw Gibbs walk in and pointed to her office. A slight smile twitched on his lips.

"Abby?" He knocked, and when he got no answer, he pushed the door open. "You in here?"

She uncurled from the ball she'd pulled herself into and sat up. "Hey, Gibbs," she said, her voice uncharacteristically hoarse.

"We found her."

A brave smile lit her face briefly. "I know. Tony texted me a picture." She bit her lip hesitantly. "She looks so sweet."

"Well, if she takes after her dad as much as she looks like him, I'd say she's gonna be a handful."

Silence fell as he walked over and sat beside her, pulling her against him. He counted to four before he felt her lose control and the tears started. "How long?" he asked.

"I've always loved him," she whispered. "But I knew he wasn't ready for a relationship, so I waited. And waited. And then he found Jeanne, and when I knew he was in love, I was disappointed, but I felt so happy for him, too. And then it all went so wrong." She pulled back and looked into sympathetic blue eyes. "And now it's going wrong again."

"Did Jeanne say how long she has left?"

"About a month. And that's not enough time, Gibbs. It's not enough time for Tony to be happy."

"It's never enough time," he said. "And what about you? How are you handling this?"

"I'll be fine. I always am." She dashed away the tears still sneaking down her face. "And I'll still be his friend, just like I always am."

"I don't think you can hide this from Tony forever. He'll see it eventually."

Abby gulped and smiled. "I hope so." A mischievous look crossed her face, drawing a suspicious frown from Gibbs. "I wonder how soon I can babysit."

A genuine laugh erupted. "I'm sure Tony will be happy to let you spend time with Renee, considering all the help you were in finding her."

He hugged her, trying to push back the pain in his ribs from her hug. "Go home and get some real sleep."

"Only if you go, too."

Nodding, he held up his hands in surrender. "I will. I have one quick stop to make before I leave."

"Director Shepherd?"

Sometimes her insight was just a little too accurate. "Yeah. I have to talk to her since now our team will be back on rotation."

"She's on that list, Gibbs."

A deep sigh forced its way out of his gut. "Yeah, I figured."

"Be careful."

He kept those parting words firmly in mind as he took the elevator up to the bullpen. His reputation kept most agents from crossing his path unnecessarily, so his trip into the director's office was quick and uninterrupted.

He nodded at the secretary as he walked in.

"I've been expecting you," she said, not bothering to look up from the pile of paperwork on her desk.

Jethro took a seat and leaned back, trying to keep from groaning. His ribs would be even worse in the morning.

"Heard you took a round. Kevlar bruises are a bitch." She finally glanced up at him, raising a brow at his uncharacteristic silence.

"Tony and Jeanne are settled in with Renee," he said. The tapping of a perfectly manicured nail was the only evidence of his direct hit.

"Case closed, then. Ducky has released the body from DiNozzo's apartment to the FBI, and Homeland Security has taken over the bodies downtown, so I presume that you, Ziva, and McGee will be ready to go back on rotation after 24 hours rest," she said. She got a nod for her efforts. "Good. Then if you'll excuse me, I have –"

"There won't be another assassination attempt."

She blinked. "Excuse me?"

"That body came from you."

Shepherd stiffened in her seat. "I beg your pardon? Jethro, you know me better than that. I would never do that to one of my own agents."

"From the Jenny Shepherd I trained, no. She wouldn't do that." He leaned forward a bit. "Director Shepherd, unfortunately, has already demonstrated her blatant disregard for her agents' lives."

"You are treading on very thin ice, Agent Gibbs."

His words were bitter. "But I have a life-jacket. You don't. Watch yourself, Jenny."

"You threatened me once. You don't get to do it again."

Gibbs stood slowly. "That wasn't a threat."

"Another _promise_?" she spat.

"A warning. Those people you're associating with will have far less patience than I do."

She looked met his gaze defiantly. "You found DiNozzo's kid. Drop the search. Or I will have your job."

He smiled. "I don't doubt that." Walking to the door, he threw back one parting phrase. "But you're the one who has much more to lose."

Jenny Shepherd sat and stared at the closed door long after he left. She knew he wouldn't drop it. It was only a matter of time before he and his bloodhounds found the full story, and there were things she could _not_ let see the light of day. Desperate times called for desperate measures. Pulling a cheap cell phone from a drawer in her desk, she dialed. "It's time."


	8. Epilogue

_Happy weekend! Make sure you read the notes after this. It's been fun, and I hope you've all enjoyed this._

Life in the past week had not been kind to Tony DiNozzo. In spite of the pain, fear, and exhaustion, though, he had been rewarded with a precious treasure. He sat on the sofa in the hotel room, arm around Jeanne, with their daughter cradled on her mother's lap. Renee stared intently at her fist before shoving her fingers in her mouth and gnawing.

"You're drooling," he said, slipping his finger into her other hand and smiling when the tiny digits clenched around it.

"I believe she's teething. Her gums look pretty red."

He tore his eyes away from his daughter to look at Jeanne. "I need to make some adjustments," he said. "My place is definitely _not _child-proof."

"We have some time," Jeanne said, then stopped and bit her lip.

The mood darkened. "What is it, exactly?" he asked. "I know I said I didn't want to know, but …"

"Cancer." She looked at him. "It's too late for me. But that's the real reason I put you on her birth certificate, Tony. I wanted you to have her. If I had died before I got to you personally, my lawyer knew to bring her to you."

He laughed. "That would've been a shock. 'Here's your daughter, Mr. DiNozzo. Good luck.'" Running his hand through her hair, he struggled for words. "I don't want to lose you again, Jeanne."

"I'm sorry. I really am."

The odor hit both of them at the same time. "Ugh, I'd forgotten about that part," Tony said, grimacing. "What did you eat?"

Renee was shoved into his arms as Jeanne lunged off the sofa and ran for the bathroom. The retching sounds amended his confusion at her quick exit. He looked down at the now fussy baby. "Looks like it's me and you, sweetie," he said as he stood up with her.

The diaper bag had been left on the spare bed, so Tony laid her down and began trying to figure out how to unfasten the little outfit. Once he got it off, he unfastened the diaper and tried not to join her mother in the bathroom. "I've smelled decomposed bodies better than this," he muttered as he tried to clean up the mess. "How can someone so cute generate _this_?"

Happy that she was getting cleaned up, the baby just cooed. He snorted. "This is going to be quite an adventure for us, huh?" Grimacing at the dirty diaper, he moved it as far away from them as the bed allowed. Pulling out the wipes, he scrubbed the tiny bottom until there were soap bubbles swirling over the skin. Dumping out the diaper bag, he sorted through the contents. "Baby lotion, baby powder? Diaper rash cream? Who dreams up all this stuff?" He peered at her, looking for any tell-tale redness. "Okay. Don't see any rash." Tossing the tube back into the bag, he wavered between the lotion and the powder. "I know we're supposed to use both of these, but which one first?"

Renee squealed and grabbed an extra onesie from the pile, pulling it over her face. Tony ignored that as he rubbed in the lotion. "Powder next, I suppose." He got a huge poof in the face as he opened the container. Coughing and waving away the sweet-smelling cloud, he managed to get the little butt powdered, along with half the bed. Finally pulling out a clean diaper, he contemplated it.

Two mangled diapers later, he proudly patted her belly as he pulled her clothes down over her. "I imagine that will get easier," he said.

A peal of laughter met his words, and he looked toward the bathroom door. Jeanne stood, clasping the jamb as she gave in to her amusement. "I have never seen anything so funny," she gasped.

He sighed, exasperated. "You've been watching me fight through this by myself? The least you could've done was tell me what I was doing wrong."

"Nope. You needed to learn for yourself." She sighed and laughed again. "Besides, that was priceless. Just priceless."

Tony scooped up the baby, hiding his face behind her. "Mama, that's not fair. No picking on Daddy," he said in a squeaky falsetto, dancing Renee around. "You've had your turn to practice."

"Touché." Relenting, Jeanne tugged on the tiny dangling foot. "I surrender."

Sweeping them both into a hug, Tony winced when he heard his stomach growl. "How about I take my two girls out to eat, then we go shopping?"

As he guided his family out the door, Tony DiNozzo sighed. He knew it wouldn't last, that it couldn't last, but at this moment, he was happy. And it was enough.

_I know I left a ton of questions and lots of things unresolved, but when I tried to continue this story, it just wouldn't gel. There's just too much to try to cram in, and I think it will stand much better as a multi-part arc. Yes, I am already working on a sequel. Tony's part of the story has been told, and while he will obviously play a major role in the next part, I am considering someone else might take center stage in the next one. _

_I welcome any ideas for this, and I'll admit that I won't use them all, or maybe any of them, but I will give credit for inspiration given. The plot is already in place, so I'm just trying to figure out which way to attack it._

_Thanks to everyone who enjoyed my story. It's the first piece over 2500 words that I've completed in years, and it was such a relief to get things moving again. Look forward to entertaining y'all again soon._


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